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Rainbow on the mast. LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Norway
Residents of the Norwegian capital will celebrate between June 20 and 28. stock.adobe.com/licencja standardowa
It's June, a particularly important month for the LGBTQ+ community. What events and where will they take place in the second half of the month?
The land of fjords still has plenty of rainbow events coming up this year. A few examples: June 13-21 are the Rainbow Days in Bergen (Regnbuedagene i Bergen), June 14 is the parade in Fløro. Then, similar multi-day events will take place, for example, in Arendal (parade on June 21) or Bodø (parade on June 21). Towards the end of the month, residents of Voss (June 25) or Lindesnes (June 28) will be able to enjoy one-day celebrations. A detailed calendar of events can be easily followed on this page: https://foreningenfri.no/aktuelt/pridekalender/
The multi-day celebration, including the parade, in Oslo will naturally attract the most attention. Residents of the Norwegian capital will celebrate between June 20 and 28. There will be as many as 235 events, including an author meeting with queer activist writers from Nigeria and South Africa, an LGBT Seniors Parade, a concert at the National Opera, and events for children, such as a screening of Disney's "Elemental," which features a non-binary character. The full list of events is available here: https://www.oslopride.no/events. The most important event will, of course, be the parade. On June 28, it will conclude more than a week of celebrations. Practical information about this final event, also in English, is available here: https://www.oslopride.no/p/prideparade.
Honoring victims of terror
On June 25, Norwegians will also gather in Oslo to commemorate the victims of a terrorist attack that occurred in the center of the Norwegian capital three years ago. On June 25, 2022, a shooting took place at an LGBT nightclub. Two people were killed, and more than twenty were injured. The attacker, an Islamic fundamentalist of Iranian origin, also planned an attack on the Pride parade scheduled for the same day but was stopped by passersby and arrested by the police. The parade was subsequently canceled.
The tragedy from three years ago is the starkest example that not everyone in Norway is supportive of LGBTQ+ individuals. Unfortunately, even in recent days, incidents such as theft or burning of rainbow flags have occurred, and in the nearby towns of Ørsta and Volda, as many as ten such items were destroyed in one day in May.
In June, diverse Norway celebrates, but it cannot be forgotten that the number of hate crimes is rapidly increasing over the fjords.
In June, diverse Norway celebrates, but it cannot be forgotten that the number of hate crimes is rapidly increasing over the fjords.
Sources: Foreningen FRI, Oslo Pride, NRK