Norway | Government apologises to gay people for past abuses
mambaonline.comJonas Gahr Støre, the Prime Minister of Norway (Photo: NTB Kommunikasjon/Office of the Prime Minister) The Prime Minister of Norway has formally apologised to the country’s LGBTQ+ community for the government’s past persecution of gay men. The apology was issued on Wednesday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Storting (Norwegian parliament) repealing section 213 of the Penal Code, which had criminalised sexual relations between men.
Between 1902 and 1950, 119 Norwegian men were convicted of having sexual relations with another man under section 213. “These men endured court cases, convictions and imprisonment.
They were publicly stigmatised and condemned. Through legislation, but also a range of other discriminatory practices, we, as a nation and a society, made it clear that we did not accept gay love.
The Government now wishes to apologise for that,” said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. The government admitted in a statement that section 213 not only criminalised gay men but also had a major influence on the way society at large viewed homosexuality. “It had great symbolic value, and gay people were subjected to broad condemnation, widespread discrimination, slander and blackmail as a result,” it stated.
