Since 2008, participants from all over the world have been able to apply for the title of Mr. Gay Germany. So far, the German competition has always taken place without a TV audience. Every Friday since mid-December, you can look behind the scenes of the contest and follow the search for the official ambassador of the German LGBTQ community on the Joyn streaming platform.
One of all 12 candidates is husband and father Daniel Nawrot (29), also known as Dany. BILD met the likeable Munich resident for an interview.
BILD: Dany, you are stepping in to meet MR. to become GAY GERMANY. How did that come about and why is it so important to you?
Daniel: “I came across the contest through social media. I found it super exciting and thought I would apply right away. Also because I can of course reach a large number of people with this platform in order to give something back to the LGBTIQ community. My goal is to show that family has to be anything but traditional. On the contrary: it can even be quite colourful.”
Daniel (29, left) and his husband Roman Nawrot (36, right) with their twins Romeo and Melodie
How was it for you to be constantly surrounded by cameras?
Daniel: “The format was accompanied by cameras for the first time ever in Germany, and of course I found that incredibly exciting. And a challenge. Because: Being without my family for three weeks, without contact, that was really hard. But it was also beautiful and a time I wouldn’t want to miss at all. Being in front of the camera was actually easy for me because I already have experience with it.”
All candidates met in Cologne in December (from left to right): Alex M., Dodis Diamantia, Noah, Dany, Lukas, Alvin, Alex H., Jay, John, Eddy, Giu and Danil
In the challenges you could win sashes – you could win two for yourself. Did you expect that and how much do winning competitions contribute to the actual victory?
Daniel: “In any case, I expected it, because of course I set my goal very high. And that is: I want MR. GAY GERMANY 2023! I prepared myself well for it. I was so happy to win the challenges, but I see the wins as a result of the diligence in my preparations. We’ll see exactly how they’re scored.”
Eleven men and Dany (above left) – these are the candidates fighting for the title
You lived in a villa in Sitges with eleven other men. What bothered you the most there?
Daniel: “Twelve different characters in a villa that you didn’t know before was of course also a big challenge. I can say that we all got along very well with one another. Of course there was one or the other small quarrel. What struck me a little: It wasn’t as clean as I know it from home. But at some point I was allowed to just switch off my head and say: ‘Okay, you’ll be home in a few days and then you’ll have everything spotlessly clean again.’” (laughs)
How difficult was it for you to be away from your family for so long?
Daniel: “The time without my family was hard for me. I’ve been with my husband for 11 years now, and we’ve never been apart for so long. Just like my children who have been in our lives for three and a half years. If I had at least had the opportunity to talk to them on the phone every day, that would have been okay, but not knowing how they were doing was hard for me.”
This is how Dany’s little family celebrated their twins’ 3rd birthday
Tell us about your campaign at MR. GAY GERMANY.
Daniel: “My campaign is: ‘Family is colourful’. I want to show that family doesn’t have to be anything but traditional, but can be so much more diverse. Family is not always man, woman and child. Family can also be grandma and grandpa who take care of the grandchild because the parents have passed away, for example. Two fathers like my husband and I who have children, two mothers who have children, co-parenting with two fathers and two mothers or, for example, a blended family. There are so many different colorful types of families and I want to show and represent that in my campaign.”
What would you like to see in policy regarding rainbow families?
Daniel: “In Germany we have already achieved a lot since 2017 in terms of rainbow families, especially for gay couples. However, there is still a lot that can be done, especially for lesbian couples, when it comes to the issue of adoption. If, for example, a lesbian couple wants to have children and one of the women carries the child, the other parent, i.e. the other woman, must always follow the same adoption path as in a normal adoption. That should change as soon as possible.”
In addition to the show’s three hosts, she regularly had guest judges. Who impressed you the most?
Daniel: “I found Jochen Schropp particularly impressive. He was super likeable, we already knew each other through social media and the format gave us the chance to get to know each other personally. He’s really a very likeable man. I was able to learn a lot from him in the two days he accompanied us. I thought that was great.”
If you do NOT win – what then?
Daniel: “All I can say to that is, ‘Let’s all assume I win, friends!’ (laughs) Because everything is still open. And if not – I will of course continue to pursue my mission and bring queerness and rainbow families even more into the world, so that Germany, Austria and Switzerland simply get to know a more colorful family life.
Together with his husband, Dany runs a successful small family business
Topic Dreams – what are yours?
Daniel: “I would like to tell the BILD readers: If you have a dream, you should always believe in it very firmly. If you do everything for your dreams and really believe in them, they can come true. And that is not only the case in fairy tales, but also in real life.”
The last episode of “GAY: Mr Gay Germany” will air this Friday (February 3rd) on Joyn – the grand finale will take place live in Cologne on February 9th with the three finalists.
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