Tag: Pride

15 sep. – pride needed more than ever

pic: sverigesradio.se

Sölvesborg, on the east coast of Blekinge, has decided, that in the future, they will not raise the gay pride flag on the local municipal building. Not even in August, which is unofficially pride month and when the marches generally begin. Not that there’s ever been a pride march in Sölvesborg – but there will be now.

Not coincidentally, Sölvesborg municipality is run by a coalition of parties – Moderates, Christian Democrats, Sweden Democrats as well as the local parties Sölvesborg- and Lister parties.

Since 2013, the pride flag was raised during the month of August, a precedent set by the then-ruling Social Democratic party. Current City Commissioner Louise Erixson of the Sweden Democrats says that the pride flag is a political symbol and is not an official part of the municipality’s flag policy. The pride flag was an exception to the flag policy, she says, and something that undermined flag policy tradition. Erixson notes that Sölvesborg raised the pride flag for Stockholm Pride, an organisation that has positioned itself in opposition to 30% of Sölveborgs’ voters when it excluded the Sweden Democrats from its party leader debates. “A municipality that raises the pride flag therefor positions itself, if indirectly, behind this kind of undemocratic behavior,” Erixson continued ().

But that isn’t the problem, Erixson stated. “It’s an example of a problem that can come up when a municipality, which should be neutral, breaks with traditional flagging rules.”

The Moderate Party’s spokesperson for HBTQ issues, Filippa Reinfeldt, opposed the change, calling it inappropriate. “Every municipality can decide for itself if it wants to raise the Swedish flag or the municipality coat-of-arms… But, regarding the pride flag, it’s not the Moderate Party’s position and is completely inappropriate. I see the pride flag as a symbol for freedom and the right to be and to love who you want ().

Another critic is Sophia Ahlin, Moderate Party member and chair for the nearby Karlskrona Pride. SVT Blekinge reports that a pride parade in Sölvesborg is now in the works – on Friday during Pride Week (). There’s never been a pride parade in Sölvesborg before, but one is clearly needed more than ever.

Sat. 3/8 – SCB for Pride

pic: amazon.com

Happy Pride everyone. In Stockholm there’s a parade today, but hell, let’s celebrate it everyday. (Not with a parade everyday though, because they really mess up traffic and people still have to get to dagis and to the dentist and make a living and the rest of it.)

Sweden is generally on the forefront of accepting people for who they are, but SvD reports today that Sweden is falling a bit behind these days. In particular, says, Alexandra Ward Slotte who travelled up for the parade, Sweden does not have a legal recognition of non-binary, or third gender (). Germany, Australia, New Zealand, various US states, India, Bangladesh, Canada, Columbia and more, recognise a third legal sex on official docs. Some can do this without any medical “test” or surgery, and in other countries a gender can be changed retroactively. So what is up in Sweden?

Of course, making available a third sex in official contexts has been talked about, but when even a person’s personnumber indicates their sex you know it’s not going to be an easy adaption. (Check the second to last number in yours – even numbers for women, odd numbers for men. I checked mine, and yup, there it was. It felt sort of weird, and wrong – what else is in there?)

Sweden’s Television did a quick survey as part of their 2018 election coverage and found that the Social Democrats, Green, Center, Liberal and Left parties indicated they thought making a third gender option was a good suggestion while the Moderates, Christian Democrats and Sweden Democrats (surprise! not) thought it wasn’t. It’s unclear what the question was exactly, but this gives an idea of how the parties are thinking about it at least.

Meanwhile, Sweden’s statistical bureau (SCB) has opened for a change to its guidelines regarding making room for a third gender, and has sought out responses (remissvar) from a slew of other government agencies (). So far, at least, the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) has returned a positive answer.

It makes you wonder, when a statistics agency, of all agencies, is ahead of the curve.