LBL Denmark

LLH Norway

RFSL Sweden (excellent site)

What is it like being gay in Scandinavia? Well, what is it like being gay in your part of the world? As you see, it is not an easy question to answer, as there probably are as many different replies to that as there are gay people in the world. However, the Scandinavian countries - Denmark, Norway, and Sweden - may stand out as a fairly liberal and unbiased area when it comes to their view on homosexuals.

Of course, this is not true for every Scandinavian. We do have our share of skinheads, neo-nazis, religious fanatics et cetera - and "little old ladies" that wrinkle their noses at anything out of their narrow view of what's ordinary. But I do think that homosexuals generally are more accepted here than in most other parts of the world. This is especially true in the larger cities where people are more exposed to us, and with younger people. It is not particularly hard to live a normal life as a gay person in the capital cities of Copenhagen, Oslo, or Stockholm, but there's a long way left to equality!

In Scandinavia, gay couples can marry, or register partnerships as it is called. You still can't get married in church, but Denmark, which was the first country to allow registered gay partnerships (1989), will probably allow this shortly. Another topic greatly discussed is whether gay couples should be allowed to adopt children. I expect this to be possible within the next few years in all of Scandinavia.

Why is Scandinavia so "liberal" then? Not so long ago homosexuality was illegal or considered a mental disorder here as well, but with the post World War II era of economic growth and stability, the Scandinavian countries have been models for freedom of speech, social security, and every individual's equal worth. The gay organizations have fought for every little progress, and continue to do so.

Today, laws do not interfere much with people's sexual orientation or practices as long as it's done in mutual consent. The age of consent is the same for all sexual contact. In Denmark and Sweden it is set at 15, and in Norway at 16.

All this is fine, but it doesn't mean that everyone feels they can be openly gay or that there's no problem with "coming out of the closet". All this is still very individual, depending on your upbringing and the people you spend your time with. The tendency seems to be that more and more teenagers and young people choose to be honest about their sexuality at an early stage. It's no big deal to them. While others, like me who told my parents not too long ago (Oct. 20th 1997), wait until their 30's or even later.

For information on the situation for homosexuals in other parts of the world, check out the (not always politically correct) eastgarden countries pages!