Norway Apologizes For Law That Criminalized Gay Sex
metroweekly.comskeive, or queer, community, and other representatives of the LGBTQ movement, Støre and Annette Trettebergstuen, a lesbian who serves as the country’s minister of culture and equality, apologized for the treatment of LGBTQ people, both those convicted under the law and those who suffered discrimination or harassment outside of the judicial system until recent decades, when the LGBTQ community began to become more accepted, reports Reuters.Since the law’s repeal, Norway has generally been at the forefront of expanding LGBTQ rights, becoming only the second country, after Denmark, to permit civil partnerships for same-sex couples in 1993, and legalizing marriage equality in 2009.The Norwegian Police have already apologized for the arrests and prosecution of gay men under the law in 2019, as well as for how officers used to harass suspected homosexuals, leaving them in fear of being prosecuted, even during the years when the law was rarely enforced, until its repeal.Noting that the law had “destroyed many lives,” Trettebergstuen highlighted the significance of the apology and what it means for the government’s commitment to ensuring equality in the future.
The government’s goal, she said, “is to improve skeives‘ standard of living and mental health. We will forbid conversion therapy, which undoubtedly has damaged those subjected to it.”Støre noted in his remarks that “119 people were made criminals and punished for their romantic relationships” under the law, reports the English-language Norwegian website NewsinEnglish.no.“They had to endure court cases, criminal convictions and prison.
