On Thursday, Kramp-Karrenbauer appeared on a live broadcast of a carnival in the German southern state of Baden-Württemberg. During her address to the crowd, Kramp-Karrenbauer poked fun at Berlin's "hip" reputation, noting that the "latte macchiato party" has "installed third-gender bathrooms" in popular cafes.
"It's for the men who can't decide if they want to sit or stand when they pee," the conservative leader commented, to audience titters.
Kramp-Karrenbauer faced immediate backlash from LGBT activists across Germany following her comment. The politician had recently been named "Miss Homophobia 2018" by ‘Enough is Enough' — Germany's biggest initiative for supporting the worldwide LGBT community — for making statements against gay marriage.
Dietmar Bartsch, leader of Germany's opposition Left party tweeted that Kramp-Karrenbauer's most recent comment was "another reason to fight against this woman becoming chancellor," while Berlin's Deputy Mayor Klaus Lederer called her actions a "travesty."
"The chairperson of the largest party in the Bundestag finds it funny to condemn groups of people," Lederer tweeted.
Kramp-Karrenbauer was also slammed by the Free Democrats (FDP), a liberal political party in Germany led by Christian Lindner. Bundestag lawmaker Jens Brandenburg, who is part of the party, called the incident "embarrassing," according to German media.
"Is it so difficult to make a humorous joke without attacking minorities?" he asked.