Push for Swiss passports to be ‘genderless’; The best cheese in Switzerland is…; More Swiss people moving away from cities

News for 8 October 2024

According to law professor Thomas Geiser, there is no longer any reason for the state to make a distinction between men and women in a Swiss passport, as such a classification contradicts the principle of equality guaranteed by the constitution. "Everyone should be able to describe themselves as a man, a woman or non-binary, as they wish,” he said. “But this distinction must be irrelevant for the state."

Swiss singer Nemo, who won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, defines themselves as non-binary, called on Justice Minister Beat Jans to introduce a third gender.

However, "my suggestion goes even further,” Geiser pointed out. "A third gender, as Nemo envisions, would solve one problem, but would immediately create new ones, because even three genders would not be inclusive of all people."

**********

There is no such thing as bad Swiss cheese, just as there isn’t bad Swiss chocolate. Even if you are not fond of one variety, someone else will swear by it. So, the process of selecting the ‘best’ cheese is a matter of pitting one excellent cheese against another. And this task is best left to connaisseurs.

A jury of 150 cheese professionals and consumers from 10 countries gathered in Lugano on Friday, to judge 1,127 Swiss cheeses, based on criteria such as appearance, texture, aroma and, of course, taste.

Three cheeses — all of them originating from the French-speaking part of Switzerland — were chosen as the country’s best:

The Brigand du Jorat from the Saint-Cierges cheese dairy (VD)

The Vacherin Mont d'Or AOP from the André SA cheese dairy in Romanel-sur-Morges (VD)

The Gruyère AOP from the Alemannic Lanthen cheese dairy (FR)

**********

New federal data indicates that fewer Swiss citizens live in urban areas. Among the main reasons cited for this trend are high rents, and property prices.

Geneva, Basel, Lucerne, St. Gallen, and Lugano are particularly affected by this ‘town-to-country’ phenomenon: in Geneva, the number of Swiss citizens has been falling continuously since 2019, in Basel since 2020, and in St. Gallen and Lugano since 2021. A decline was also recorded in Lucerne in 2023.

Only Zurich and Lausanne have withstood this trend, apparently because two top Swiss universities located there — the ETH and EPFL respectively — keep many residents from moving away.