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Norway: Promoting worldwide LGBT acceptance

Fun Fast Facts:

  • Same-sex activity has been legal since 1972.
  • First country in the world to prohibit discrimination.
  • Gender-neutral marriage has been legal since 2009.
  • Married and committed same-sex couples are permitted to adopt under Norwegian law.

LGBT-friendly organisation: LLH

  • Began in 1950.
  • History includes successfully advocating decriminalisation of homosexuality, 1980’s anti-discrimination laws, domestic partnership and equal marriage law.
  • Work with teachers, principals, new immigrants and Christian groups to ensure social acceptance.
  • Partnerships with agencies in South Asia (Blue Diamond Society in Nepal) and East Africa (Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya).

W3JOY interviewed: Per-Kristian Foss, former Minister of Finance and Acting Prime Minister

I think all Scandinavia is different from the rest of the world…in terms of accepting homosexuality.

Being gay or lesbian is not the question to be a member of our cabinet.

What would he like to change?

The way they treat homosexual people in Eastern Europe. Europe is not a dream wherever you go. Europe has a long way to go to be more liberal-minded, and to be open for same-sex marriage. It will take years and years to change the minds of Eastern Europeans.

How long has he been married?

Four years. We first went into the partnership, and when the law was changed we went in to be married.

 

W3JOY interviewed: Marna Eide, International Advisor, LLH

Why work directly with international LGBT organisations?

We believe it’s important to build this solidarity from an LGBT point of view.

 

It’s the LGBT rights organisation in Norway cooperating with the LGBT rights organisation in these other countries. It’s a partnership and it’s a mutual learning process. There’s lots to learn from our point of view when entering into these partnerships.

 

A lot of things that we can learn, for example the way that transgendered are seen in Nepal.

 

It’s a highly politicised field what we’re working in, it’s interesting coming in from the West.

W3JOY interviewed: Ida Bergstrom, International Advisor, LLH

Reporting is fair in that our issues are taken seriously by the media. Issues of homophobia and hate crimes will always cause an outrage and will be treated seriously.

At the same time, if there is a chance for sensationalisation, a politician being caught in the act or that sort of thing, then it will be sensationalised.

[Kristian Foss] always been quite quiet. He’s not one of those people that will flag his sexual orientation. With this fear of being placed in a box where all you are is gay.

In a society where most of our formal rights are in place…what we have to work with now are people’s attitudes.

We’re not very good at transgender rights. We still lag behind there, as with the other European countries.

You’ll have to give us a few more years, maybe another ten years and you can declare us politically emancipated.

Are you ever fully politically emancipated, though? I don’t know.

Published on: Aug 21, 2012 @ 9:32

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