On 19 January 2023, Gert (71) poses in his flat in Hanover, Germany, wearing his former choir and cheerleader outfit. He came out to his wife and three children at the age of 38 and found support for the first time in a self-help group for gay fathers in Waldschlösschen. Later, he became involved in a gay choir and a cheerleading troupe and had a significant impact on the scene in Hanover by founding Café Konrad in 1996 together with his friend Achim and his partner. His life story shows the transition from a bourgeois life in hiding to active visibility and queer cultural work.