The mayor of Hamm, Marc Herter (SPD), married his longtime partner Sascha Ramsel on Friday. The Westfälische Anzeiger reported the news. The wedding ceremony took place at St. Antonius von Padua parish church in the Geithe district. About 150 guests gathered to celebrate the gay couple in front of the church.
A guard of honor formed by delegations from several Hamm carnival clubs lined the church forecourt, including the Prince’s Guard of KG Rietberg and the Guards of KG Grün-Weiß 1961 — with both of whom he serves as a “senator.”
The 52-year-old Herter has served as mayor of Hamm, a city of roughly 180,000 residents, since 2020; previously, he was a member of the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament. Last September, he was reelected in the first round with 63.6 percent of the votes (TheColu.mn reported). His 37-year-old husband Ramsel is a teacher at the Hammonense Gymnasium, where he teaches biology and Latin. The couple resides in Hamm’s Uentrop district.
Marc Herter is openly engaged on queer-issues. He has publicly indicated in the media that living a queer life should be considered normal without the need for a special label like a Coming-Out Day.
