In Germany you need the so-called Missio Canonica to teach the Catholic religion in any public school. This legal teaching authorization is only granted by the Catholic Church itself to those who pledge to lead a life according to the moral ethics of the faith. The document can easily be revoked for certain violations of loyalty, for example for those who are openly gay. Therefore my sister-in-law Marika, who had always wanted to teach Catholic religion, has to keep the relationship with my sister Anke a secret.

After 14 years of hiding she has to make a decision: to carry on with the job she loves while staying in the closet or to marry my sister and finally come out at her workplace. This rather personal insight into an often neglected issue tackles the question of the connection between church and state in Germany, a country that claims to be one of the leading guardians of human rights, but is it?