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German is first ever trans man on Euro Men’s Health cover

Benjamin Melzer is pushing boundaries: the 29-year-old German model and activist is the first transgender man to adorn the front page of Men's Health in Europe.

Published: 23 March 2016 12:20 CET
Updated: 23 March 2016 15:20 CET
German is first ever trans man on Euro Men's Health cover
Photo: DPA

Benjamin Melzer will be the first transgender man to grace the cover of the popular men's magazine “Men's Health” in Europe, reports nbcnews.com.

After coming in among the top five competitors in the German edition's “Cover contest”, the boundary-pushing 29-year-old will be on the front page of a collectors edition coming out in April.

“The Trans community needs people like Ben,” says Men's Health editor-in-chief Markus Stenglein. The German model calls himself jokingly “the Martin Luther King of Transgender”.

And the young pioneer has got popular support:

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Congratulations Ben!

Posted by Ashton Kutcher on Sunday, 14 February 2016

He is following in the footsteps of Aydian Dowling, who is also transgender and became world-famous after being a runner-up in the US Ultimate Men's Health Guy contest, according to fusion.net.

“Stealing the girlfriend of every guy who laughs at me”

In the small town of Oer-Erkenschwick in North rhine-Westphalia's densely populated Ruhr-area, Benjamin was born into a fair-haired, female body under the name of Yvonne. But he says that he “was never just a normal girl”.  

He used to do sports with boys and take girls out on dates, never knowing why he was “different”, as he says. As a young adolescent, he started getting advice on sex reassignment surgery, vowing to “later steal the girlfriend of every guy who laughs at me.”

But the road to fulfilment was rocky. His parents had a hard time accepting his transition – his father “didn't want to lose his little girl,” recounts the model.

Nevertheless, he overcame the hurdle of 11 surgeries, numerous hormone injections and a strict fitness program to become a man of broad shoulders, ripped abs and a full beard.

Benjamin Melzer wokring out; Photo: DPA

Gender troubles in Germany

Despite increasing tolerance over the past years, being trans in Germany these days is a tough hand to be dealt.

“Transgender is not necessarily a taboo anymore, but discrimination against trans people is a problem,” Nicole Faerber, board member of the German Association for Trans Identity and Intersexuality (DGTI), told The Local.

“Even today, trans people who stand behind their gender identity often lose their job, their families and circles of friends fall apart and their partners seperate from them.”

According to estimates, between one in every 1,000 and 100,000 newborn children is transgender.

But Faerber presumes that there are a lot more people that feel at odds with their gender identity.

As an activist, Melzer wants to thwart prejudice. His website called “Egoshooter – self-made man” gives advice on nutrition, working out, and being transgender.

 “I want to give hope and comfort to those who ask themselves every day why they were not born in a different body,” he told aplus.com.

SEE ALSO: The Bavarian men who buy breasts to feel like ladies

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EUROPE

Brussels warns Italy to rein in public spending amid pandemic

Most EU member states should continue to invest to support the continent's economic recovery, but heavily-indebted Italy should rein in public spending, the European Commission warned on Wednesday.

Published: 24 November 2021 16:07 CET
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi expects the country's GDP to recover in the coming year. Photo: Alessandra Tarantino / POOL / AFP

“The economy is bouncing back from the recession, driven by a rebound in demand across Europe,” EU executive vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis said.

“But we are not out of the woods yet. The economic outlook remains riddled with uncertainty,” he said, warning that the coronavirus is still spreading, prices are rising and supply chains face disruption.

Despite these unpredictable threats, European officials predict a strong recovery, and want eurozone governments to maintain their “moderately supportive fiscal stance” to support investment.

EXPLAINED: How Italy’s proposed new budget could affect you

Italy, however, remains a worry. Its public debt passed 155 percent of its GDP last year, and Brussels is worried that it is still budgeting to spend too much next year.

“In order to contribute to the pursuit of a prudent fiscal policy, the Commission invites Italy to take the necessary measures within the national budgetary process to limit the growth of nationally financed current expenditure,” the commission report said.

The commission did not say by how much Italy’s spending plans should be reduced, and its recommendation is not binding on the government.

The European Union suspended its fiscal discipline rules last year, allowing eurozone members to boost their public spending to help their economies survive the Covid-19 pandemic.

But the European commissioner for the economy, former Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni, said governments should now “gradually pivot fiscal measures towards investments”.

“Policies should be differentiated across the euro area to take into account the state of the recovery and fiscal sustainability,” he said.

“Reducing debt in a growth-friendly manner is not necessarily an oxymoron.”

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, a former European Central Bank chief, has said Italy’s economy is recovering after the pandemic-induced recession.

Draghi forecast economic growth this year of “probably well over six percent” in a statement on October 28th.

Italy’s GDP rate grew by 2.6% in the third quarter of 2021.

While economists don’t expect Italian GDP to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels until 2022, ratings agency Standard & Poor has revised its outlook for Italian debt from stable to positive.

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