Homophobia “perfectly legal” in Faroe Islands

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

LGBT activists in the Faroe Islands have generated around 20,000 signatures in an online petition demanding an end to sexual orientation discrimination and a registered partnership law to bring the islands into line with the rest of the Nordic region.

The petition expresses discontent that homophobia is made “perfectly legal” because the government does nothing against it.

The document says, “This protest is to show the Faroese Government and Parliament that whether or not it is in the name of Christianity, the surrounding world does not find discriminating acts against homosexual people acceptable. This kind of legislation is a serious violation of The United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights

“Unfortunately, right now violence and discrimination against people who have spoken up about their homosexuality in public is not uncommon in the Faeroe Islands. And because there is no law to protect the homosexual minority against such discrimination, it is often considered legal and acceptable to commit these actions against homosexuals.”

The Faroes, population 47,000, is a self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark located halfway between Norway and Iceland.

In 1989, Denmark became the first nation in the world to pass a registered-partnership law granting same-sex couples the rights of marriage.

Last year, the Faroese parliament rejected an ant discrimination law by a vote of 20 to 12.

The new push for the law follows a homophobic attack in a bar in Tórshavn, the capital, on popular local radio host Rasmus Rasmussen, who is openly gay. Rasmussen and his family also received threatening phone calls after local media reported on the beating.

Take action against discrimination of homosexuals and sign the AAH.

All signatures will be sent to the Faroese Government.

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments