LGBTQ+ Life in Germany - [How is it REALLY like?]

#expats #germany #expatsingermany #lifeingermany #expattips
LGBTQ+ life in Germany can be great! In this video we talk about the pros and cons of living in Germany as a diverse person.
Rainbow map of Europe:
👉🏼 rainbow-europe.org/
⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
00:51 - Political situation
06:59 - Cultural status quo
08:36 - Personal experience
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We know how frustrating and painful it might be to move to a new country, especially if you don't fully speak the language. That's why we created Simple Germany.
Simple Germany provides tips & information in English about living in Germany as an expat. We talk about services that are friendly and easy to use to beat German bureaucracy. We also cover the cultural aspects of living in Germany. All of this brought to you from the eyes of an expat and a German duo. We want to help you settle in Germany more smoothly.🍻
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[@marinaab7276]

I'm a heterosexual Mexican American woman. I'm not planning on moving to Germany. I'm just interested in learning about other cultures. I truly enjoy your videos. I think you make a beautiful couple. Love is love. I wish one day we could all understand it. Hugs from Northern California!!!

[@prozaque]

Greetings from Sacramento. German-American here 😀

[@safdarabbas1951]

​@@prozaque 🙂

[@anchouse94]

Totally agree about Germany having a great LGBTQ+ environment! Not only was my wife able to join me here (got married in Denmark prior to that though), but I also noticed a change in Ausländeramt officer’s face when she was familiarizing herself with our case 😁 she looked super bored before, but when she realised she was dealing with two married ladies, she all brightened up, started talking way too much and smiling and helped us a great deal with a small hiccup that we had (which she totally didn’t have to do!). We’re both open at our jobs (IT sector though), so yes, nothing but positive impressions on that front in Germany.

[@simplegermany]

Hi Anna, thanks for sharing your experience! Happy to hear you have and your wife have had a positive experience as well! 😊

[@herrgoldmann2562]

I have had the same experience in Ausländeramt and Bürgeramt. They were nice and sympathetic.

[@aek.53]

Lol so basically you are saying better be gay in 2023 wokism has bright future lol

[@anchouse94]

@@aek.53 no, I am saying it felt great to be treated like a human being as opposed to what I am used to in my homeland solely based on whom I love. And no one prevents straight people from being nice to each other and also get help from officials.

[@aek.53]

@@anchouse94 straight people thanks to woke culture will.soon be going to prison if you dont like same sex you have a problem i have nothing against gay people but i have a problem.with promoting it especially to kids in school etc ...

[@chrissi7560]

I would like to add one more thing that might be intersting for some. I think the Catholic Church in Germany is much more liberal than in other parts of the world, where LGBTQ+ discrimination is justified by faith. Although there is a Vatican/Church/Pope imposed exclusion of same-sex couples, many parishes in Germany have held blessings of same-sex couples, welcomed these people into the community, and have explicitly spoken out against this discrimination. I sincerely hope that this positive attitude will be carried on to other religious countries because it is so sad and wrong that some religions promote exclusion.

[@alexysq2660]

@@urlauburlaub2222 ,, ...so gays in Germany *don't leech* from the others... " : and just what is t h a t supposed to mean then - when it's at home???

[@madrooky1398]

@@urlauburlaub2222 "so gays in Germany don't leech from the others" Thats such an insulting statement against people who also pay taxes and help funding the social system. Where are they leeching? Can you explain that? And how do you call it when a gay couple is adopting an abandoned child? Not family? Whats wrong with you? If gay folks were not excluded by so many intolerant people they could be even more productive towards society. THATS the difference between countries with an accpetance and such with none, when people are denied to be different they also denied to take part of social life and denied to do their part. Its a self fullfilling prophecy to lock out gay folks and then call them useless. And its a shamefull way to treat people.

[@ContinuumGaming]

@@urlauburlaub2222 "especially conservative"? Not really... it is a lot more conservative than the protestants in Germany and of cause the general public (and many other churches), but more conservative than other countries like Italy, Poland and so on? Not at all. It still is the catholic church in the end and people just do not relate to them much today... I am protestant and at least agnostic. I would say at least agnostic or close to that is the majority of people in Germany. Very few percentages especially of younger generations are still going to church or praying activly, etc.

[@wombatzen5206]

@Urlaub Urlaub Hopfen und Malz verloren.... "protestant socialism" What does it even mean? And "mass media" is certainly not dying thus it is publicly funded. Print media will die with the rest of the €DU voters of dino age though. But I am sure you got yourself enough quality journalism on your new media... So you got yourself covered, am I right?

[@ContinuumGaming]

@@urlauburlaub2222 "Street parties are on the retreat" - I am not sure about that, but we might have a different definition of that term. Are we talking about CSD or about raves and parties? With the first: That is pretty natural. It were these parades where people could express themselves and be more open about their sexuality than any day in the year. If there are less people on those it can mean two things: People are getting less "gay" (yeah, sure...) or they do not need to go there anymore, because the supression of these groups is no longer as present in the day to day life that they do not see it as necessary anymore. I would say the last one is more likely and is just great. And what do you mean with "you have no gays around a Christian holiday...". There are less gay people around Christian holidays? Where did they go to? As far as I know homosexual people are still homosexual even so they might not run around with rainbow flags wrapped around them when everybody (including hetero-, homosexual, queer and asexual people) is celebrating a certain holiday. Christmas is a holiday where people will wear certain clothes. Like Oktoberfest is a celebration ("Fest") where people are wearing different cloth too. That does not say much about anything else than there is just a certain way people established to be dressed liked and they like it that way. So why should gay people not dress like that if they wish to? Isn't it meant to be a holiday for everybody and sexuality shouldn't be an issue at all because it just should not matter which sexual direction anybody is into for a holiday were people are celebrating something non-sexual related? And could you explain what you mean by "protestantic socialists". I am sure there are socialists in Germany, but Germany as a wholes isn't even socialist but just has a less agressive captialistic system than the US for instance. (which does not make it "Socialist" as in using it as a term to describe it.

[@danilopapais1464]

I like to think that for us Germans it is like "Does this affect me negatively? No? So why care or be against it?". It is for me the same like religion or even veganism, you do you.

[@roncenti]

I honestly don't know if this is correct. In large cities it might be. There are just too many people to care about the small stuff. Or it is a regional thing... ?? But this is actually the main reason why I have left Germany and moved to the US. People would stick their noses into every little tiny stupid thing. I could not be myself but had to be like everybody else. Maybe that has changed in the last 20 years. Maybe that was a thing of Hessen? Maybe that was because I lived in a rural area but then again ... Wiesbaden, where I worked was not rural.

[@danilopapais1464]

@@roncenti Well, I am from Hamburg, might also be because it being Hamburg for me and I never been away for more than a year.

[@IgorRockt]

​@@roncenti Well, I'm from a small village in the Eifel (one of the most conservative areas in Germany - besides from Bavaria maybe) and we had one of the first gay couples in North Rhine-Westphalia who got married, and literally EVERYBODY knew about them for a few decades already - and nobody cared. I would even argue that in most smaller villages there, it's not really an issue (and never really was), since everybody knows everybody else since they were little. I'm straight, but I could give you a list who of my classmates weren't (both male and female) since I would say the 6th grade already. And if even *I* as a kid knew this, everybody older knew it, too. About the rural thingy: It's much easier to hate somebody when you don't have to see them every day, then when it's one of your friends' cousins or siblings - or your friend themselves! ;-) So I would say that it's pretty much a regional thing, and e.g. the Rhineland (which includes the Eifel) in general was always way more open than most other parts of Germany - including Berlin. Might be the French influence... ;-) PPS: And yes, there is a lot of gossip in rural areas, too - but that's not only true for gays... if we are talking gossip, I would have been married a few times and there were kids on their way, too (I'm still single without kids, btw ;-) ). And I lost my driver's license (I think I heard that one twice)... even though I still have my original "Lappen" from when I was 18... that's typical gossip for you. I really enjoyed adding some stuff to it, too (of course about myself... *grin* - to see how far it would travel. As did others).

[@_SpamMe]

I'd say there's this weirdo split where everything gets tolerated - not necessarily accepted - as long as people act as within what's considered to be "normal", as long as they are "quiet", don't make a fuss. A sort of social "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Like, being gay, totally fine. Protesting for equal rights to heterosexual couples? Now suddenly everybody's up in arms about how "these people are always demanding things" and whatever other latent phobias get out. People overestimate how progressive Germany is. Look at how many comparatively dated laws we have thanks to years and years of CDU rule and the huge influence of churches - and they are the biggest party still, and although the churches become less powerful every year, they still got massive influence. There's worse countries to live in, but that's really not much of a hurdle.

[@heinzk023]

@@roncenti Well, how about the rural areas of the US in terms of tolerance?

[@JackieBaisa]

I am a straight woman in USA, and used to be married to a German man. I just love your videos. And I love watching the two of you. You have a lovely chemistry together. ❤❤

[@cristianc.6302]

Hi. I'm a straight guy from a red (unfortunately) part of Europe. But with each passing year, I think we are also becoming more and more "green", at least I hope so ... not as fast as I would want, but I think the direction is good. I recently discovered your channel and have already watched almost all your videos :) Greetings!

[@rachaelkramer9746]

Deep-south Alabamian, heterosexual , married American here! I love this video and ALL your videos! I am thankful for y’all opening up your comment section to questions viewers may have. I have seen KZbinrs speak about how rude it is for curious people to ask questions. This saddens me because I believe that’s how we learn about each other and become more understanding humans.

[@nitka711]

This is exactly why Germans are called rude. We do ask direkt questions and give straight answers.

[@rachaelkramer9746]

@@nitka711 You’re probably right… but I’m married to a German and like directness. PS, this other KZbinr was British. 🤷‍♀️

[@moko561]

I'm from Alabama that is so weird to see another German Alabamian

[@rachaelkramer9746]

@@moko561 Mobile.

[@rachaelkramer9746]

@@moko561 I’m not German, but my husband is. 🇩🇪🇺🇸

[@DaveStroble]

So glad you found each other and are making great content about your lives in Germany. Celebrating you both!

[@myselfalex]

Aww what a wonderful picture of you two as the thumbnail. Not that it's new-news but congrats on the marriage, you two are great together and have become my favorite Germany-life channel!

[@martialme84]

09:26 Aw man to hear that someone had to leave their country to be able to feel free makes me so f**** sad... :-( I´m not even gay or active in any supportive ally type movements or whatever but just being your fellow fuckin human and hearing that makes me almost want to cry man. Glad to have you with us, guatemalan sister. Glad you found happiness here. Makes me fuckin proud of our good ol Germany here. May she be a haven for our fellow man in need... :-(

[@JimmyR2023]

Great content and very helpful for us from other lands! thanks.

[@thomasb.9965]

As former mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, said: „Ich bin schwul und das ist auch gut so…“🏳️‍🌈 … thanks for your Information and presention👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@roelli79]

Yeah, that statement of Wowereit in an official speech of his and the reactions towards that statement pretty much sum up how accepted LGBTQ+ in Germany is nowadays. It was quite awesome. Wowereit: "I am gay". German society: "Fine. So what?"

[@RustyDust101]

There are so many LGBTQI+ couples in our politics. It is totally great that even such positons as foreign minister have been filled with an openly gay minister quite a few years ago. That was a massive slap in the face of any countries that are still a deep, dark red on the pride map. Imagine two foreign ministers sitting together in a conference room, one an openly gay male, another an ultra-conservative repessive, talking about the possibilities of better trade among the countries. And the ultra-repressive having to swallow his pride because Germany is such a trading power-house. Thinking back on that I am still smiling at that 'f*ck you finger' at the LGBTQI+ haters among the world's countries.

[@nict3561]

Life for trans people and especially nonbinary people is much more complicated than described. And plans for a new and better law recently were stopped. It' all not so smooth as it sounds here.

[@felixlehmann9241]

yes, exactly. There is a reason for it only being greenish. The TSG (Law for trans issues) is such bullshit and hate crime against LGBTIQ* is also going up. There is still a lot to do in Germany...

[@summerava]

Definitely! There should obviously be the possibility of taking things slow, but for many people one or two years (in my case 1.5) of additional gatekeeping mean even more irreversible damage. Also trans care is very centered around traditional binary views - if you're slightly nonbinary (or don't confirm to certain gender role stereotypes) and with the wrong "trans therapist", good luck ever getting a HRT indication.

[@ikekiehxx9257]

Imo the legal situation as regards transgender rights and the required procedures are reasonable and appropriate in Germany. Hopefully, we won't get conditions as questionable and unfair as in some states of the US, in Canada or UK. Protection of minors, women's rights, women's safe spaces, women's prisons and women's sports is imperative

[@L1m3r]

And Germany's past in that regard isn't very bright either. I'm glad those two are happy an the clip is positive but it seems a bit like through rose tinted glasses. Until almost 1970 being a homosexual was a crime/felony (don't know the right English term) punishable by at least prison[1]. [1] de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexualit%C3%A4t_in_Deutschland#Bundesrepublik_Deutschland

[@antrazitaj5209]

I looked into a name change as a nonbinary and it is practically not possible.

[@kristingalea4490]

I love when you say "Smoothly". It's cute! 😊

[@simplegermany]

😁

[@Mirabelle452]

It was a great pleasure to hear your story about marriage 🙂 Thank you for your videos!

[@nicholasdoyle7342]

Not a direct member of the community but definitely an ally, who came to be so through some previous poly relationships where my partners enjoyed other women as much as they enjoyed me. It is a wonderful thing when humans can set aside petty differences and just enjoy and celebrate life on open-minded terms. Watching you both be supportive of expats and giving back to the world through your channel is inspiring and heartwarming. I appreciate you both and hope to be moving to Germany (also an IT professional similar to Jen, but more infrastructure and PM). I look forward to more of your content, but Jen, I have to agree with Yvonne, Kölch is wunderbar scheiße!

[@yonniiisan]

I'm also a gay guy who's planning to go live in germany and find a man of my life and live happily... I'm also sad that my country who needs me rejects me and hate me. I hope things get better for queer people in the future all around the world.

[@nicolenarciso4706]

What country is it?

[@yonniiisan]

@@nicolenarciso4706 Algeria 🇩🇿 💔

[@engkunasya]

@@yonniiisan find a job first, when u have money, everything is magnet.

[@blucons4016]

@@yonniiisanW Algeria

[@yonniiisan]

@@blucons4016 trust me 90% of youth from all types are planning to leave... Algeria is bleeding from its youth. Hate is never a solution.

[@brittca]

Hi Jen and Yvonne! My wife and I are a Canadian/American married couple (in Canada) looking to move to Germany one day in the future. Thank you both SO much for your channel. It’s a breath of fresh air and makes us both feel so happy and excited to eventually make the move. Thank you for doing this for all of us expats!

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for your kind message! We wish you all the best in your move to Germany :)

[@arnodobler1096]

I´m happy to hear your Story and your great experience. A lot has happened in the last few years! When I was young, it was different. I'm not gay, but I always thought that everyone should live and, above all, love as he/she wants! Ihave gay friends and there are so kind friendly and loyal it ia awsome.

[@kayneahnung3661]

Thanks für this reflection - I am a straight german male btw. I am really happy that you do not experience any issues with being a Couple, and I also am really happy that you did not have any issues coming from south america - thats how I think it should be - people should be judged (if any) by how they behave, and how they integrate into society, not based on beliefs, sexual orientation, color of skin or hair etc. The one thing I was suprised about is that it really is important to you that there is a mandatory option of "divers" in every form - never thought that this is of any consequence, I just always saw the involved efford (I am an IT guy, so I had to deal with that). Thanks for that little detail!

[@rozinha3377]

Congratulations on your wedding! happy for you both! :)

[@nomirrors3552]

This is so cool! Thanks for the awesome content. :)

[@FluffysGrim]

Literally was so lost if you guys were a couple as ive been watching these to get info for immigrating to germany for my partner. glad i was right XD you guys are so cute!!

[@kaidrache2395]

Okay, little remark from me here (German Bisexual): What Jen and Yvonne either dismissed or didn't know is the fact that not all LGBTQ+ are treated the same here. Seeing that gay men / boys commented I wanted to give you a little advice. Lesbians (like our favorite channel owners) are usually seen as "cute" or "adorable" in public. They rarely get any comments at all. It's usually only a short curios look and that's it. Gays (and bisexual men of course) are far more often harassed and the general acceptance is significantly lower. Example: A lesbian couple holding hands or kissing in public are usually ignored while the same actions might net a gay couple some nasty comments. This is of course not ALWAYS the case, but it happens. Obviously Bisexuals share the same treatment. If you are Trans it actually depends on your camouflage skills. Yes, I know - sounds mighty suspicious, but that's the way it works. If you look the part, if you act the part everything is fine. Even if people notice it, they won't comment on it. BUT (and there is a big BUT here for a reason), if you go out into the public in women's clothing sporting a huge beard at the same time there will be nasty comments. Not everywhere, not from everyone, but it most definitely will happen. Seeing that this comment is already too long some additional remarks at the end. Like everything nothing is black and white in Germany. If you are in a modern, open-minded city like Berlin you can get away with practically everything. Problems might start in more conservative regions and especially some rural areas. And, last but not least, the negativity usually comes from older Germans who grew up with the stereotypical heterosexual role models. Young people are (thankfully) mostly fine with non-heterosexual people. Thanks for listening.

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing and your insights. 😊We mostly agree!

[@NattyByNature-]

I can see this being true. In most environments girly lesbians are treated fine, it’s the masculine ones that get harassed, just like how flamboyant gay men are treated worst.

[@ameliabryant1608]

Great video and very informative! Thank you for sharing :)

[@jessicasmith4388]

Hi, My mom's side of the family is from Germany so I have an interest in learning about Germany. I was in Germany once while I was i the Navy, never met any of the people wish I had though. I am also trans, I spent most of my life in "hiding" who I was. Once I gained the courage to come out all hell broke out. My one son disowned me and everyone in my life wanted nothing to do with me . The worst person that gave me the hardest time was my wife, which is understandable i mean she did not sign up for this. Well I enjoyed watching your videos, you two make the cutest couple. Wish you lots of happiness.

[@simplegermany]

Hey Jessica, thanks for sharing your story! We are so sorry to hear that your family didn’t accept your true self. We wish you also lots of happiness 😊

[@ANPapila]

Hi Jen and Yvonne! We are a women couple as well and we plan to move to Germany. We made a very long-term plan for that as we both are not citizens of EU. First we have to move in, then start a life, then at least one of us should get citizensip then we can get married :D As you can only get married in your embassy if you are not German, and our country does not recognise this kind of relationships, that would be why we move in to Germany. We hope to find a community after we move in , even maybe find legal support for these steps, fingers crossed . Thank you for helping us to get there SMOOOOOTHLY

[@simplegermany]

Hello! Thanks for your kind feedback ☺️. A lot of international couples get married in Denmark and then register their marriage in Germany. Maybe that’s an avenue you could look into ☺️ all the best!

[@ANPapila]

@@simplegermany Woow I will research it thank you

[@mayapuff2943]

As a young queer woman in America, my experiences have very been different. Even living in what's considered a more open and accepting state my sexuality is more of a hush hush topic. It's not the norm to be accepting and open so you've to test the waters with anyone new, just to make sure that bringing up my relationship won't get me a bad response. Even though in schools it's become more open with the young generation and you can find a community. It's difficult I worry about just holding my girlfriends hand in public unsure if all I'll get is weird looks, a rude comment, or worse. It's refreshing to hear that elsewhere I could take about my relationship in the same regard as my heterosexual friends and not worry. Sorry for the comment :)

[@simplegermany]

Why are you apologizing? Absolutely no need! Everyone should be able to express themselves freely as long as it causes no harm to others 😊

[@airatvaliullin8420]

What an amazing story! Agree with every point both of you made and with the "Oh, goosebumps" too

[@Ringelsocke.]

I think, my generation grew up with learning to understand and accept. (In Germany) So now the next generation doesn't have to fight like crazy for rights or being anxious about coming out. My daughter (29) just asked if she could introduce a new partner to me and she sent me a picture. And - ups - this time it wasn't a boy. It took me a while to process, but I couln't be happier for my child. They married and now I have two daughters. Thanks for that map!

[@nevermind3520]

Oh my, cuteness overload! 😍🏳️‍🌈

[@HelloImakecoversr]

I was worried about moving to Germany as a lesbian and my dad linked me this video and I am so relieved.

[@helloworld5794]

Awiee that is so nice

[@turjo119]

This was very insightful. Thank you for the educational content.

[@1963Victory]

I am originally from Germany and I absolutely love your attitude and this video is wonderful thank you for the information I have been in the United States for a long time and I didn't know all of the new laws in Germany

[@dirkgenehagelstein1851]

Love your channel. My man i got "registered partnership" since 2004 and are married since 2017. Think there`s a lot of things to do - but i remember the early 90`s - it`s completely different now...

[@msrenee9418]

Thanks girls for your openness. Hello from Australia, where same sex couples are in many workplaces and accepted. We have training in all government organisations about lesbians, gay, binary etc, and respect and tolerance is expected. I find your information on Germany very interesting and came across this clip this morning. It's sad that in 2021 that there is still such intolerance in the world toward people who are in same sex relationships. We are all souls having a human experience, and genderless before we incarnate. Loving others and being kind is all that matters, not someone's gender and who they choose to love.

[@ThomasTuttle]

You both are beautiful people, and I appreciate all your videos. I am a queer linguist and wonder, if you also record these videos in Spanish and German. Englisch ist meine Muttersprache, und ich bin echt erstaunt, dass Ihr Englisch so fliessend und vorkommen ist. Ustedes hablan mi lengua como nosotros lo hablamos sin errors. Estoy encantado de sus programs. Thank you for all the guidance on life in Germany. You are a huge blessing to those of us, who wish to visit your nation.

[@n1vca]

"Shall I read the poems to you?!" ... "No, we got to go to work" 🤣 that is soo German ... you are such romantics 😉 ... glad everything worked out for you and it is uplifting to see your happy faces and hear about your backgrounds ... Greetings from a straight (Ger)man, who grew up in the town you live in, good old D-village.

[@monicavaquerano6271]

Soy salvadoreña y estoy saliendo con una alemana, llegué a su canal con la idea de aprender y entender más de su cultura :) y Jen, te entiendo mucho :’(

[@swittle22]

Love you both and thank you for this!

[@georgiykeymach814]

Thank you for your videos! It’s really so interesting, important and also fun! And you’re just so cool :) Could you tell more about weddings in Germany? I work in wedding/event industry in Russia (yeah, no comments 😞), so it would be so interesting for me to compare.

[@simplegermany]

Hey Georgiy, we have two guides that talk about weddings in Germany: www.simplegermany.com/german-wedding-traditions/ & www.simplegermany.com/getting-married-in-germany/ 😊

[@yonathanthe1st]

another story my mother once told me is that she once talked to the head of an islamic/muslim church, and asked him what he would say about homosexuality (etc). while this might still not be a great answer, he actually said he had absolutely nothing against it, but in the religious duties of his profession, he couldn't "support" it when someone directly came to him (in church). Its still a longer way to go, but I think its a good start to know that there are people in leading positions of various religions who don't actively engage hate towards the lgbtq+ community

[@yerinlee211]

Pardon ? What do you mean by Islamic church?

[@user-bv1qt6cd4g]

You don’t know anything about islam, your islamic church says it all. Embarrassing and ignorant.

[@RobAussie01]

You’re both awesome.

[@hilmarwornle3798]

I'm a super average, normal heterosexual german familyfather. I'm happy to live in a country where couples like you can live an express theire life like you. That's great. If my children would live as gay people, it would not affect me in any way. They would be still my most beloved humans as they are already!

[@Magrat_Knoblauch]

@@hilmarwornle3798 I'm always so happy to see that people like you exist 😊

[@mari1899]

Thank you for this film 🤗

[@shivohumnishad7098]

thank you for making this video ! I'm a Queer guy from India and will be moving to NRW this winter ! your video was really helpful

[@moritz-4742]

Good luck here in Germany

[@shivohumnishad7098]

@@moritz-4742 Danke schön !

[@moritz-4742]

@@shivohumnishad7098 bitteschön

[@jshmeatsix1336]

Ich hoffe du bist gut angekommen (Wenn du schon in Deutschland bist) ^-^

[@shivohumnishad7098]

@@jshmeatsix1336 ja danke sehr ! Ich bin jetzt seit 6 Monaten hier und liebe Deutschland bisher.

[@JohnnyCajape]

I really loved seeing your wedding photo 💕

[@jazzochannel]

The reason that you left Guatemala because of the animosity towards homosexuality, was the first or second though that went through my mind when I first realized you two were lessssssssbos(!). After watching a few of your videos, I realized you two are open about it, and now you are confirming what I intuited - about why you moved. I'm just saying that to let you know that I understand, despite never visiting Guatemala. I am also not homosexual, but I saw that and here you are confirming what I saw. It's nice to know that you are able to understand people....

[@PreetiKarmakar]

This was such a beautiful video and such a beautiful story of you two. I really got Gänsehaut two-three times during the whole video. I do have a personal qs for Jen, when you wanted to move out of your country to. more tolerant one, what made you choose Germany over other more greener or more tolerant countries? I know you my have not known back then about the rainbow map but in general too, France comes across as a more open and tolerant country. So what made you choose Germany? I hope it is not too personal to answer. Thanks girls. It was really an awesome video to watch.

[@simplegermany]

That’s a good question 😊. Your gut feeling is correct, I had no idea about the rainbow map back then. I chose Germany because I had learned some German in school (still learning German 😂) and it is Europe’s strongest economical country. Thanks for your kind words and feedback. 😊 -J

[@kaworunagisa4009]

Someone recommended this channel to me when I was asking job related questions on another channel, and I'm glad they did. I love what I see so far. I have a few questions through. I'm planning to move to Germany (hopefully next year) from a non-EU country, either on a work visa or a freelancer visa depending on what I find first -- a job offer or 2 potential clients, and I'm a pre-transition transmasc NB (not saying that all nonbinary people want or plan to transition, but I personally would very much like to). My question is whether it's legal for me to use "d" in my job applications/CV/freelancer profiles/etc., and whether potential employers or clients would have grounds to dismiss me when they find out I'm legally my AGAB.

[@simplegermany]

Cool! We are happy you found us. So the d has been mandatory on all public bureaucratic forms in Germany for some years now. Regarding jobs, we would say it highly depends on the type of company and it’s culture. Germany has plenty of companies who encourage a diverse culture. We believe you would not want to work in an environment where you don’t feel accepted, so don’t hide it in applications, as for the companies who might not get back to you based on the d would not be a good fit. Hope that makes sense 😊

[@kaworunagisa4009]

@@simplegermany It does, thank you!

[@moi4791]

I‘m glad you mostly had positive experiences ❤️ hope it stays that way! (Also about the gender x: I think it’s “just” for intersex people and not non-binary people, but I could be wrong about that).

[@klausbenker8410]

You both are awesome 😎 as always 👏🏽 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽. Many Thanks, Merci Beaucoup, Vielen Dank 🙏

[@mauriciosanchezdienemann747]

Hi! I'm a chilean gay boy, looking forward to move to Germany soon. In Chile same sex marriage was approve last year but the process of queering the population started years ago and nowadays you can express yourself freely in most big cities. Enjoyed the video very much girls, all your content is so interesting and informative. Best of luck ✨🤗

[@adriaputzeys]

Hello! I'm also from Guatemala! I enjoy your videos a lot! Greetings!

[@simplegermany]

🇬🇹🥰

[@ErnstJosef2806]

Schon beim CSD in Köln gewesen?

[@adriaputzeys]

@@ErnstJosef2806 noch nicht aber bald!

[@mrcdias6430]

Great video. Do you know or feel or have any insights if this friendly and tolerant scenario is country wide? or just in the main big cities? I'm planning to move to Liepzig but I've heard that east Germany is more conservative in that matter. Any thoughts? Thanks

[@simplegermany]

Leipzig as far as we know is a very hip ‘in’ city. Of course we can’t speak from our own experience what it is like living there. When we visited we felt welcome 😊

[@curiousmind1485]

Here is to love and knowledge sharing. Thanks. You two are awesome. Your videos make me smile every time - even as a heterosexual German living abroad. I bet a few Germans wouldn't mind having this great overview of the basics in life... Keep them coming. I kerp forwarding them to friends. Your well deserved coffee is on its way.

[@simplegermany]

Thank you so much for those kind words and your support!!! 🥰

[@AnnaGonchar]

Both of you are so great! I love you soooo much!

[@elisramosviana182]

Wishing you much Love! Cheers from Brazil

[@Thoer]

informative video, thank you! as a straight guy, I was watching this hoping to find out a little more about "Germany" and "German mindset". I live in Berlin, and I'm very aware that to a large extent it's a unique bubble. so my only feedback is that it would have been nice to know where in Germany you guys live. cheers!

[@simplegermany]

We live in Düsseldorf 🙂

[@MHahn-bg7cu]

It is Guatemalas loss. Good to have you here.

[@FS-ms2md]

Not all latinamerican countries are homopphobic. Argentina allowed same sex marriage 7 years before Germany...

[@thorstochter78]

I had to smile about your three marriages. We did the same. 2007 Standesamt in winter, 2008 a ceremony with all our friends in summer and 2017, exactly on our 10 year anniversary we married for real. But after 10 years we decided to say "yes" again ;-) Anyways I wanted to add that I think it's true open discrimination does not happen that often but there are covert forms of discrimination for example in the way people express opinions or talk about LGBTQ+ etc. Also as a same sex familiy we have a lot of issues with forms when it comes to being two mothers. There is always a line for father and one for mother. That can be quite annoying and you feel unseen. I know compared to situations in other countries this is: Jammern auf Hohem Niveau ;-) Thanks for your fab channel by the way. I think I will recommend it to the guest researchers I work with.

[@SuperDaniiXD]

i just find out this channel and i believe its so cool! you two are adorable

[@vnatik]

Thanks a lot for such a great and informative channel! I have just discovered you and I am totally a fan. I would also like to know about medically assisted procreation in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Is it permitted, or is it a 'grey zone'? Thanks!

[@simplegermany]

There are several ‘Kinderwunsch’ centers in Germany who help with procreation. Everyone needs different levels of treatment and medical assistance is definitely ok. 😊

[@karlwhite2733]

You ladies are awesome 😘

[@jazzochannel]

selecting "other" on registration forms is not available in most cases, or at least from what I have seen on the websites/services that I visit. It's easy for me, because i pick male every time. I pay some attention to this because I work in the sphere of internet and web-development.

[@ChristianLehrer]

Great video!

[@PastorHinChrist]

Blessings to you both from a Lutheran pastor.

[@Schamballa]

Thank you for this video! Next year I am getting 60 years old (which means: I belong to the white old men...) - but it is true: I love you girls and I wish you all the best! And, to be honest, I am now - after listening to you guys - a little bit proud of my home-country germany...

[@alexmajano4968]

As a transgender person planning to move to Germany that friend story is very reassuring (legal things are always a hustle anyways).

[@RustyDust101]

The bureaucracy is an equal-opportunity offender in Germany. 😁😂 Not one single group is singled out as a target by the German bureaucracy; EVERONE is targeted by the German bureaucracy equally! 😂😂

[@alexanderlotharson5634]

Another good example that proves that Germany is awesome! ;-) Although I have the impression that Germans are sometimes more tolerant and sometimes less. I think that lesbian couples are more accepted than gay couples. But coming from an old straight guy this is just a guess. What I can certainly say is that individual lesbian women are much more tolerated/accepted by (older) males than individual gay men.

[@TierchenF95]

I think so too. I think one reason is because two girls are a accepted sexual fantasy and two boys are more like a taboo. And another point, is, that we are are often raised with the idea, that male Persons have to bei strong and two be gay is in some heads like being a weak or female man. Maybe it is a last bit of the Nazi-Shit, wich ist not deleted yet. You know what I mean?

[@ericbwolf]

I really appreciate this video. I am a transgender woman living in the US (Florida) and feel the need to escape while I can. But I want to make sure where ever I go, it will actually be better (although things have gotten bad enough in Florida, that almost anywhere is better). I will be visiting Germany in a few weeks and would love tips on what to consider about places as an expat. FYI: I am a software developer and speak german at a low A2 level.

[@kerstineisenhut8151]

I am the straighest woman existing, but for me neither sexual, religous nor political preferences matter unless they are kind to me when I am kind.

[@bojanapavlovic294]

Great video, seeing this i feel happy to live here in Germany. In my country things are the exactly the opposite, unfortunately. I am heterosexual but, first of all human, so deeply saddened by that, and, super happy to now live where more human beeings are treated better.

[@martialme84]

A process which is very bureaucratic? In Germany of all places?! No way... :O

[@RustyDust101]

How the hell does Germany have bureaucracy? Have you filled out your application form 2CX-7 to recieve the 'Revelation of bureucracy to foreigners' form AB-14c yet? Oh, and don't forget to leave your passport, ID, social security number, Krankenkasse, Rentenkasse, Autoversicherung, Haftpflichtversicherung, Adresse, Telefon, Email, Twitter, Facebook, and any other pertinent contact info as well. We might have to file additional forms to your location, so your content's comment is not deleted due to breaking the premature release of that information. Oh, in triplicate as well, please. 😂😂😂

[@hilmarwornle3798]

I'm German. I lived in France, UK, USA, Egypt, Israel, Switzerland. There is always buracracy. And even if it seems stupid, mostly it makes sense. The problems starting if you have to deal with stupid beauraucrats or corruptipn...

[@dynamite5403]

Thank you for your kind words at the end of the video for those who are not queer and still supports you, I hope that we will not feel a need to thank for something like this in the future though. Because why would it matter for us? Being from a dark red colored country feels bad and I am also a bit skeptical about it. Are the other countries that are close to us really much more tolerant? (for example: Russia?) I just hope we will turn green in the future.

[@arnodobler1096]

I´m waiting for the Wein and Schnaps Probe 😍🤣

[@simplegermany]

😂

[@purosfoodntravelnetworkper9268]

Love you guys 😘

[@laureneastwood5936]

Your videos are the best! You need to start selling merchandise 😂 I want a Simple Germany sweatshirt

[@simplegermany]

You are awesome! We have taken a note of your wish 😉

[@MrLotrecht]

I remember times in Germany it also was not so easy ,but nowtime its absolutely OK ! Like that.more peace at all! The most proplems have the people here in there comming out times ! But in the 80 it still was not funny to be homosexuell ! I am hetero ever been but I had have all times lesbian and schwule friends .In young times i was in the Punkrock and Wave Szene ..... at that times violence against homosexuell couples on the street was high...but it changed and its great!

[@csillasarosi6718]

Thanks guys, this video was super helpful. We're thinking of moving to Germany and you gave such a great and positive insight into LGBTQ+ life there. We have a child so it's extremely important for us that he's accepted as the child of two mums. Thanks again. Maybe you could make a video about rainbow families in Germany. Just a suggestion.:)

[@Yuu_7360]

I really hope and pray beautiful and peaceful life for you two and your child, I hope I will be also able to live my life happily in germany, but hey have you immigrated there yet? Please update if you can

[@robertzander9723]

That was a very lovely and wonderful video. Thanks for sharing, especially that cute picture. Interesting to hear a little bit more of your story. The sometimes complicated bureaucracy process is a German thing and a lot of try to improve it, with the big election this, it will be interesting to see what happens next. June is the pride month in a lot of democratic countries, that's one step forward. A negativ point is that, homosexual and bisexual man are not allowed to donate blood, unless they haven't had sex with a man for a year. And that's not okay.

[@simplegermany]

Wow, we were not aware about the blood donation situation - thanks for sharing!

[@robertzander9723]

@@simplegermany that's a point why we are not greener on the map.

[@beldin2987]

Good to hear that, and even since i am only a hetero person, who normally is skeptical about every form of nationalism or when people say they are "proud" of their country, this is actually something that makes me a bit proud of germany. Beeing more open minded is always good and way better then the usual things where people are proud for no other reason than to think they are better than others and so have the right to kill them in the next war.

[@fridocalifornia6276]

Latin-America is not all red. Gay marriage in Argentina and Uruguay (dark green) was allowed before it was in Germany and even before France. Colombia, Costa Rica and Chile have same-sex marriage and Kolumbien allows more than two people in the married status. I read from at least three guys legally married to each other.

[@yonathanthe1st]

most of the time, i really wanna get out of Germany tbh, but i actually think as a lesbian i will be well supported here in the future. we'll see what that brings. i love seeing you two together, you're so cute

[@BlissLovePeace]

hm ... nothing is holding you back, except your need for security it sounds... which is very unusual in Germany (just kidding). But seriously, if you really, really mean what you say, it is probably a good idea to check it out for a few years somewhere else, and see what it does to you and Germany.

[@msrenee9418]

Australia is accepting and lovely 😊

[@alexysq2660]

So ganz wunderschoene wirklich; mit herzliche grueBe - und viele Liebe 😊 ( ...und bitte vergeben meine entsetzliche ,,Beherrschung" der Deutschsprache) ❤️🧡❤️🧡❤️...!!

[@antrazitaj5209]

I'm a german NB. It's not that people have an issue with it, I just that I have to explain it to people.But it's just a matter of time till others are more familiar with it and don't require the explanation what I actually mean

[@devlogerio]

Jen, not everyone is as lucky as you, to go to Germany and find the best representative of a german woman :D Well, I'm sure you are the best example of a Guatemala female as well but as a man, I can say it's hard to find a nice woman especially a native from where you migrate and I can say Luck is an important aspect for both of you. Not to mention that existence of Germany on the map is considered as luck for our generation I Love you both, you're my greatest source of german knowledge

[@starseed8087]

Bin selber hetero aber mein bester Freund ist schwul. Meine Eltern hatten schon immer schwule Freunde. Bin spirituell, Spirits haben kein Geschlechter die Seele liebt, wen die Seele liebt, der aktuelle Körper auf der Erde ist dabei nebensächlich! Schönes Paar! LG aus Köln!

[@RustyDust101]

Cis-male, straight, German here from Hamburg (just for clarification). You two are just awesome together. So fun to watch, good info, great chemistry between you two. That it took us until 2017 to finally make same sex marriage legal is pretty shameful. We Germans should have been much more advanced than that. Does your life style in any way, shape, or form affect anyone negatively? Nope, it doesn't! So why the hell should I care what you do or how you live, and why should there be different laws or benefits for you than for me? A friend of mine is a transitioned guy who is happy with his body now. He also said, yes it takes quite some time, as well as counseling in Germany. But as this is not something that you can easily reverse (if at all) he understood and still understands why so much counseling is done to prevent 'fashion statements' from devaluing the support given. The health insurance provides pretty good service for those who truly feel they have been born in the wrong body. He also didn't have to pay much, only for some minor treatments involving scar tissue removal (beauty standards instead of medical procedures). Another great coming out story I got from a straight friend who is a mom of three was this: Her oldest daughter of 15 or 16 came to her with a concerned face (zerknirscht, for all German speakers) Daughter started off the conversation with the dreaded: "Mom, we gotta talk." Mom: (slightly concerned look slipping on her face as well)"Yeah, what is it ?" Daughter: " Umm, mom, I don't know how to tell you this..." Mom: (really concerned now) "Okay, out with it, you know, you can tell me anything..." Daughter: "Okay, mom... (deep breath)... mom, I'm bi. (waiting for the thunderbolt from the sky)" Mom: deeeeeeep sigh of relief "Oh God, thank you... I thought you might have had a drug or crime problem. So, who's your friend, male or female (Freund oder Freundin)?" Daughter: stunned silence... big eyes... "No, mom, I don't do drugs or crime... but... but... but... aren't you shocked?" Mom: "What of? I experimented as well when I was your age. You found your way, that's great. Why were you scared?" Daughter: hugs mom. Fini. As you can see I have absolutely no problems with any of their views on it. The only question I have is, why does the LGBTQ+ community keep adding more and more letters over the years? It's not that I don't accept the diverse sub-groups, I just find the accronym to become more and more cumbersome to spell out. Just as a little push to think about, not as a real criticism.

[@anareginabarriosescobar9551]

Qué maravilla vivir en un país donde se respetan los derechos humanos. Se respeta la autonomía y la identidad de cada uno 😍 En Guatemala estamos a años luz de ese nivel ☹️

[@MetalBere]

You're a great couple. Greetings from Chile 🇨🇱 😊

[@ranekeisenkralle8265]

That triple-marriage story was hilarious (the bit about the third marriage specifically). That said, best wishes to you.

[@elormkatsekpor1168]

I love y'all so much!!

[@minookalantari]

Thank you

[@valm9462]

As a transgender woman i enjoyed my travels in poland, i was open about my identity :) I wonder how will it feel in a really green country like Spain(oh i forgot i travel there tomorrow lol) . i was in Sweden but i was in the northern part so not too many people XD

[@olivia6632]

Please tell me how it went!!!

[@7sOoOnE507]

you are amazing ❤️

[@leithbouacida2483]

I can totally relate, Im gay and Tunisian and only lived in middle easter North African countries, and I started studying in Germany this march, so yes Germany is great!

[@moritz-4742]

I texted with a gay guy once from UAE and it seemed really harsh there I lost his DC Name unfortunatly but i hope he will move to a diffrent country in the future

[@leithbouacida2483]

@@moritz-4742 I lived in Dubai for 6 years, yes it seems lenient but its actually one of the worst countries to be gay in. Their police is very strict, and since it is such an international place its even more dangerous.

[@moritz-4742]

@@leithbouacida2483 thats really bad

[@leithbouacida2483]

@@moritz-4742 im so lucky I have the full support of my family, milliona people living in those countries dont. Thats why germany is the best😊

[@beageler]

Some years ago non-heterosexual couples were celebrating a new law. I hadn't followed... Well, actually the whole issue, not just the events around this law (or maybe court decision). Seeing the happiness I assumed that some last vestiges of inequality had fallen. And then I learned that it was only equality in some ways but not total equality. And I felt ashamed, both for there still being inequality and that some (important, I think part of it was the equality in adoption) changes were cause for this much celebration in the community, that things are bad enough for the community that incomplete equality is already cause for this much celebration. I'm still ashamed to live in a country where this is going on, although the status quo in LGBTQ+ issues seems to be bearable enough that my country letting people drown in the sea or languish in abominable camps is harder to bear for me.

[@d-man8294]

So, Manuel Neuer Neuer wore a rainbow armband during the Portugal : Germany match. My initial reaction was: "Oh, Neuer trägt ne Homobinde!" My friends agreed and that's it. Nothing special to it. One day later I read: "The UEFA is investigating the case." Now I can say, I'm proud to live in a country which has rights for everyone and I'm also shocked that this was a big thing for the UEFA. Now I'm curious what you think about Manuel Neuer and the importance of his message!