Babylon Berlin offers a largely positive and complex portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and themes, integrating them as a vital part of Weimar Berlin's social fabric. It depicts queer identity with dignity and agency, showcasing vibrant subcultures and relationships. While characters face external threats and tragic outcomes, these are driven by political turmoil and crime, not by their identity being inherently flawed or mocked, maintaining an empathetic stance.

Babylon Berlin features transsexual characters, such as Lana, a performer at the Moka Efti. The series portrays these characters and the broader queer subculture with dignity and complexity, integrating them into the vibrant tapestry of Weimar Berlin. Their identities are not sources of ridicule or villainy; instead, they are depicted with agency and empathy, contributing to the narrative without being reduced to stereotypes.

The series portrays Christian institutions and some adherents as hypocritical or complicit in the political extremism and moral decay of the Weimar era, often showing their manipulation for nefarious purposes without significant positive counter-narratives.

The film unequivocally condemns the rising antisemitism of the era, portraying Jewish characters with dignity and sympathy as victims of prejudice, thereby positioning the audience to condemn bigotry against the faith.