Migrant Tales was happy to hear that the appeal court in Turku has upheld an earlier decision by the Pirkanmaa district court in Tampere to ban in Finland the neo-Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement (PVL) and Pohjoinen Perinne (Nordic Tradition Group), a PVL –linked group, according to YLE News.
Tag: gay rights
While the rest of the world moves forwards towards gay rights, the Christian Democrats of Finland go the Putin way
Päivi Räsänen has a lot to say for herself. As a god fearing, christian woman, Minster of Interior for the Finnish government, and the official representative of the Christian Democrats, Her party managed to hold on to 6 seats, the lowest number amongst any Finnish political party. Yet, as we read this, instead of wondering…
Acceptance and respect of cultural diversity is very similar to the gay rights struggles of the past
It wasn’t too long ago in Europe and countries like the United States, Argentina and Australia that being gay was seen as a psychological disorder that could even be cured. Acceptance of cultural diversity, the right to be treated with respect irrespective of your background, is undergoing the same struggles that gays faced as they…
Artist Kiba Lumberg: “Don’t box me in!”
In order to understand Kiba Lumberg, 57, you need to know some Finnish history, the plight of minorities like the Roma, and what it is like to live in worlds shaded by different hues of grey. Since this story is about an artist who doesn’t want to conform to set norms imposed on her by…
If you’re anti-gay you’re probably anti-immigration (or don’t understand what is at stake)
It is surprising that a country like Finland, which claims to be a Nordic democracy, we see so much opposition to gays not only from anti-immigration parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS), but from other ones as well like the National Coalition Party. PS MP Mika Niikko, a fierce opponent of gay rights, echoed on Helsingin…
Oulu city councillor and transsexual attacked
Green Party Oulu city councillor, Janne Hakkarainen, was attacked and beaten over the weekend while accompanying a transexual, reports Oulu-based daily Kaleva. Hakkarainen said that three men attacked them in a park after he accompanied his friend home from a bar after 4:30am. Fortunately a person spotted what was happening and forced the…
PS MP shows more ”tolerant” side to Helsingin Sanomat concerning homosexuality
Contrary to what James Hirvisaari commented on the Hommaforum website, the Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP gave a more “tolerant” view on Helsingin Sanomat concerning his statement that homosexuality is “a sexual developmental disability.” Hirvisaari said that even a disabled people like homosexuals need to accept themselves for what they are, he emphasized that homosexuality or…
Coming out into an identity: gay, lesbian, pariah…
There is one line of a film review of Pariah on Colorlines that really caught me: “The film hinges on the belief that there’s no one way to be young, or black, or queer. And while it’s a struggle to come into any identity, those fights are always punctuated by moments of resilience and triumph.”