IDAHOTB » Norway

IDAHOT 2017 country page: Norway

Joel Bedos — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 14:29:55 +0000

Norway’s Beautiful Way To Mark IDAHOT

17th of May are known as IDAHOT, but in Norway that day is even something else as well – it’s Norwegian Constitution Day too.

If you have been in Norway, on 17th of May (17de Mai as it’s called in Norway), you know how the Norwegian celebrates their Constitution Day. Promise you you will not find something similar anywhere.

The National Broadcaster NRK (yes, the same channel that gave us SKAM) found a special way to mark IDAHOT. Every year after Hans Majestet Kongens Garde (HMKG) (His Majesty The King’s Guard; the Royal Guards) band & drill company has showed their drill skills – they invites the ladies to a dance with the guards – this year the tv reporter Thomas Alkärr (happens to be Swedish) was invited to dance with one of the male guards – this was to mark IDAHOT (same-sex dancing has never been done before in this segment of the day according to our sources).

Photo by NRK

IDAHOT Events 2015: Norway

IDAHO — Sat, 16 May 2015 09:29:25 +0000

The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia was celebrated in a small number of ways this year across Norway as the country is also celebrating its National Day on May 17.

We are still busy collecting information on this year’s IDAHOT activities and are waiting to hear back from activists and event organisers. If you have information to share with us, please write us at contact@dayagainsthomophobia.org

In Oslo the American Embassy for Norway offered its support for the day by promoting activities across the country, as well as promoting the day on an international level. The embassy also marked the day with a short online message of support.

Several smaller events are also planned across the country. More news of these will be published when they are made available.

Despite May 17 being the National Day of Norway, some people decided to mark the both commemorations together, like here in Bergen:

IDAHOT Report 2014: Norway

IDAHO — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 17:00:41 +0000

Norway

Since Norwegians celebrate Norway’s Constitutional Day on May 17, IDAHOT actions usually do not take place. Nevertheless, LLH (LGBT Organisation for Norway) used the occasion to mark IDAHOT by launching an initiative for Euro Pride 2014, which will be held in Oslo in June.

The following press release was published on May 16 and can also be found on the Euro Pride website:

Celebrating IDAHOT, LLH – The Norwegian LGBT Organisation, Amnesty International and the Norwegian Helsingfors Committee take the occasion to launch an initiative to bring prominent LGBT activists from Eastern Europe together at EuroPride 2014 in Oslo, Norway.

Uniting against the homophobic backlash in Eastern Europe, prominent LGBT activist from six countries will meet and develop common strategies at Pride House during EuroPride 2014 in Oslo, brought together by LLH – the Norwegian LGBT Organisation, Amnesty International and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee.

“Our three organisations want to support Eastern European LGBT activists to meet and develop common strategies. We also want to learn how we in the West may stand in solidarity with the East in the struggle for human rights for all”, says Bård Nylund, leader of the Norwegian LGBT Organisation, on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT).

During the EuroPride celebrations in Oslo, from June 20th to June 29th, human rights activists from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Lithuania and Latvia gather in Oslo to discuss common strategies and mutual learning.

“When the conservative forces opposing the fundamental human rights of sexual and gender minorities unite and cooperate across borders, human rights activists must respond with an even greater capacity to build alliances”, says John Peder Egenæs, Director of Amnesty International Norway.

Human rights and the freedom of expression

Human rights and the freedom of expression in Eastern Europe are affected by a number of new laws that impact LGBT persons: anti-propaganda legislation, blasphemy laws, foreign agent laws and laws designed to “protect” children and youth. For Eastern European nationalists, homosexuality has come to symbolise the West.

“It seems like Eastern and Western European countries are competing for the right to define whether the rights of sexual minorities are compatible with so-called ´traditional and family values´”, says General Secretary Bjørn Engesland of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, and goes on. “By denying LGBT people their human rights, policymakers and extremist groups claim to protect the family and the nation from the ´West¨”.

The Eastern European LGBT activists will also participate in a series of public seminars for the benefit of the EuroPride participants and the general public during the ten day long festival.

“There is a great concern about the backlash against human rights in Eastern Europe, but few are aware of how human rights activists work to counter harmful legislation and promote acceptance,” Nylund concludes.