On 3 January 2023, Bettina (61) and Bettina (71) are standing with their dog in their house in Hanover. The two have been a couple since 1981 and have shared more than four decades of life together. In the early years they found community in lesbian groups and spaces in Hanover, where exchange and visibility slowly became possible. In the 1990s they decided to start a family and raised two children together, at a time when the legal framework made this path extremely difficult for same-sex couples. In 2005 they were among the first lesbian couples in Germany to secure stepchild adoption, despite resistance in court. Later, when marriage equality became reality in 2017, they formalized their relationship at the registry office in Hanover. Their life story mirrors both private determination and social change: building a family, navigating legal hurdles, and insisting on equal rights.