Those Who Dared, and Those Who Are Still Daring

Throughout the world, there are people risking their lives every day for the sake of human rights. It used to be like that in Norway as well, but this year, we can celebrate 60 years of organized fight for LGBTI rights!

However, hate-motivated violence against the LGBTI population is still a major problem, in Norway as well as the rest of the world. What are the triggers behind this hate? What makes people hate certain minority groups?

One of the steps towards better living conditions for LGBTIs is decriminalization of homosexuality and protection in the laws. In Norway, homosexuality was decriminalized in 1972. In Kenya, you can still get 14 years of imprisonment for so called "carnal knowledge against the order of nature" ("homosexual acts").

There will be an introduction from the Norwegian MP André Oktay Dahl from the Conservative Party, Political Adviser Arvinn Gadgil from the Socialist Left Party, Håvard Øvregård from The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports and Norway's own "Gay Queen", Kim Friele.

We are also very lucky to have two activists from the Gay and Lesbian Coaliton of Kenya (GALCK) who will present their work to combat hate motivated violence in Kenya and the struggle for decriminalization of homosexual acts.

The moderator will be Ragnhild Therese Nordvik, the daily manager of SAIH.

There is no entrance fee, and the seminar will be at The Norwegian Center Against Racism (Antirasistisk Senter), in Storgata 25 in the center of Oslo.

Read an article about the event in Blikk: Historisk aktivisme. Blikk, 17. juni 2010.