W.O. Videos
In the WELCOMING OUT videos, you will find inspiring coming-out stories. After many years of hiding, three people finally find the courage to be themselves - supported by the symbol of WELCOMING OUT, which signals to them that they can come out without fear.These short films were produced as part of Sophie Köperl's master's thesis at Hamburg Media School, directed by Hanna Mathis, and supported by a dedicated team of around 30 people who realized the project pro bono and with a lot of passion. A big thank you to everyone involved in making these moving videos possible!Watch them now and be inspired!
Marco's Story
Marco is an amateur player at HSV, and this video tells his coming-out story. When Marco hears on the radio that several professional football players have come out as homosexual, he is both surprised – since queerness has been a taboo topic in football – and inspired. When he discovers the WELCOMING OUT button on a teammate's sports bag, Marco finally dares to acknowledge his sexual orientation.
Franzi's Story
This short film tells the story of Franzi, who works at the fire department. Out of fear of negative reactions, she doesn't talk about her girlfriend, Anna. But when her colleague Lenny shows his supportive and accepting attitude towards queer people with a simple symbol – a WELCOMING OUT sticker on his phone – Franzi finds the courage to open up. This small but powerful symbol helps Franzi overcome her fear of coming out at work. Eventually, she decides to bring Anna as her partner to the fire department's celebration.
Johanna's Story
The story of the trans woman Johanna, the title character of the eponymous short film, takes place in an office. Johanna, still called Jonathan at work, feels invited to come out to her colleague Eva because of the WELCOMING OUT email signature Eva uses. In her response email, she signs with her chosen name Johanna and receives positive reactions from Eva.
