u/ICEBLOCKHEAD

Hiiiii! 🥰

I’m moving to Germany (Essen, more specifically) from Sweden for the first time, and I was wondering how trans healthcare works in Germany.

For example, how do I start the process of getting hormones and other gender-affirming care as a trans person in Germany? Do I need to visit a GP first, or should I contact a specific department at the university hospital directly? Is the process complicated, and are the waiting times generally long?

I’m currently getting HRT (MTF) through GenderGP because of the very long waiting times in Sweden, so I was also wondering what the situation is like in Germany. If the waiting times are long there too, does GenderGP still work in Germany? Or are there any better alternatives you would recommend in that case?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with trans healthcare in Essen or the Ruhr area! 💕

Thank you!! 🥰

Hi!

Maybe it’s just me finding this interesting, but I feel like the German ich-Laut /ç/ is pronounced in at least two slightly different ways by native speakers, and I was wondering whether this is a regional thing or if I’m just imagining it.

For example, I sometimes hear words such as sprechen, Mädchen and ich with what sounds like a fairly front [ç], while other speakers seem to pronounce it slightly further back, more like [ç̠]:

sprechen: [ˈʃpʁɛçən] vs [ˈʃpʁɛç̠ən] Mädchen: [ˈmɛːtçən] vs [ˈmɛːtç̠ən] ich: [ɪç] vs [ɪç̠]

I’m not talking about the much more obvious [ʃ] pronunciation of ich found in some regional varieties, or about replacing the ich-Laut with the [x] of Bach. The difference I mean is much subtler: both sound like an ich-Laut, but one seems noticeably more palatal/fronted, while the other sounds slightly more retracted towards the velar region.

Am I actually hearing a consistent phonetic difference here, or is it mostly just individual variation or coarticulation?

And if it is regional, which parts of Germany, Austria or Switzerland tend to favour the more front [ç] pronunciation, and which tend to use the more retracted [ç̠]-like pronunciation?

I’d be especially interested to hear from native speakers about where you’re from and which one you think you normally use!

Hiiiiii!

I am a trans woman moving to Germany to work as a researcher later this year, and I was wondering whether having different gender markers on my documents could cause any legal issues.

All of my travel and identity documents currently list me as male, while all of my employment documents refer to me as female. My employer is aware that I am transgender.

Could this cause any problems or delays with my visa application? Has anyone had a similar experience?

I have already submitted the application and included a short explanation at the end stating that the difference in gender markers is because I am transgender.

Hiiii,

I have just received an offer for a PhD position in medicine (as a wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin), and I am currently waiting for the contract to be delivered to my home address.

I was therefore wondering how the level system in TV-L works.

For example, my offer is for a 75% TV-L E13 position. Is it possible to receive a Level 2 salary if I have relevant experience?

I worked as a research assistant at a hospital in Sweden for around 1.5 years during and after my master’s studies, and the projects were very similar to my PhD project.

In this case, would it be possible to be placed at Level 2 for salary purposes?

Thank you in advance for your insights!