Germany: Gay Germans' joy mixed with adoption angst

Gay Pride Berlin is a riot of glitter, glam and rainbow flags.

This weekend people will celebrate Germany's new law to allow equal marriage. But it is not necessarily "equal" for gay parents.

Berlin drag kings wax their moustaches, the queens dust off their biggest beehives and huge rainbow flags adorn government ministries.

This year Berlin's gay festival season has an unusually political edge.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier signed the new equal marriage law on Thursday, meaning that same-sex couples should be able to get married from October. Until now only civil partnerships were available, which lacked some rights. 

Adoption worries

Jörg Hormann and his husband Patrick have been in a civil partnership for 9.5 years and have two young children. "We hope that now, finally, people will know that we are a completely normal family," said Jörg. "We're just happy that we're no longer seen as inferior."

I met Jörg and his family a few weeks ago at a demonstration outside the Bundesrat, Germany's upper house, as lawmakers formally voted on the measure.

Next to him stood a woman holding a placard saying "scrap homophobic adoption law". Journalists looked confused. "But I thought the new law sorts out adoption for gay people?" one asked her. Read more via BBC