On 28 June 2025, Udo (71) and Andreas (61) are standing in their allotment garden in Hanover, which they have been tending for more than 20 years. As a gay couple, the two have built a life together in a society shaped by heteronormative expectations. They met by chance in 1995. While Andreas found support early on in a local youth group, Udo grew up in the GDR before moving to the West to live more openly. In 2014, they entered into a registered civil partnership and in 2017 they officially married.