Gay-life in Finland

[littlefrank]

And women are so fed up...

[Hank W.]

They have their moroccan imports... you've seen "Rome" on telly, its an universal and ancient phenomenon

[mortalwombat]

I would recommend you to go to Sweden better than Finland

Not when it is about gay life. Contrary to all Finnish "all Swedes are gay" jokes, according to gay people gay scene in Finland is best in the Nordic countries.

So you have made some sort of investigation about the gay life in scandinavia?

[llewellyn]

This Nordic comparison is interesting - I guess in American terms the mainstream society is quite liberal indeed on many issues but all the surveys suggest that Finland is the most socially conservative of the Nordic societies. I would think that sexual minorities still have it much easier in Stockholm or Copenhagen than in Helsinki but the change in these last years has been very quick. Finland is changing rapidly and in many ways for the better. (The main exception being the gradual weakening of the welfare structures.) In any case, it is very nice to see tolerance and social pluralism on the increase.

[Hank W.]

Well, here's a flashback into 1969

"Are you...?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCdsl9x50Rs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTEtvXFx8IQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XimAQDYR0YY

I don't know if its the "official" narrators voice, or the hippie fashion but this makes me gigle myself silly. This film/documentary was a scandal in its time (homosexuality was a crime until 1972) so it was banned.

The acting and the "story" is quite hilarious, I enjoy the camera pans of the city. You can find familiar spots. The party scene in the beginning is a blast...

[EP]

So you have made some sort of investigation about the gay life in scandinavia?

Not me, but my gay friends have. One lived for a year in Stockholm just because he did not find anybody in Helsinki, and thought that Stockholm would be better. He moved back after just one year although he had a good job in Stockholm. The reason: gay life is better in Helsinki.

[chickensexer]

But while I am 24, it comes to NOT visiting gay bars in Helsinki, because of age reasons, it seems...

Not at all! At that age you'll fit perfectly into DTM. In Hercules you'de be quite comfortable as well, it's just that may be somewhat bored? Both younger and older ones go to Hercules (more older ones may be). But DTM is made MOSTLY of your age group. So you still have plenty of time to frequent both.

That was about night clubs. Bars - I'd say in Room the crowd is really mixed, in Stuff - more of older ones, married couples etc.

[dar1us]

go to dtm 2 weeks in a row and you'll start to recognize everybody helsinki is small

[porya22]

Hi boy
I Am Iranian and I am living in Finland ( Jyvaskyla )
I want Boyfriend.
please help me and steer me.
I am only and i ...

[Naavaneito]

Jyväskylä gay, lesbian, bi & trans association (click the English flag below the left link navigation):
http://www.jklseta.fi/

[Matula]

This Nordic comparison is interesting - I guess in American terms the mainstream society is quite liberal indeed on many issues but all the surveys suggest that Finland is the most socially conservative of the Nordic societies.

Finland is firstly always a Christian country. You may not realise that in Helsinki, but people in the countryside are very religious. According to the Bible, homosexuality is a sin, and that's the way people see it.

[sinikettu]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6243323.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarja_Halo ... ian_issues

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_rights_in_Finland

[enk]

Finland is firstly always a Christian country. You may not realise that in Helsinki, but people in the countryside are very religious. According to the Bible, homosexuality is a sin, and that's the way people see it.

Not quite. While in some places that might be true, it's definitely
not true everywhere in Finland. My experiences have been that most
people just don't care, they figure if you found love, then go for it.
One of the things that shocked me the most when my Finnish
friends said that their family wouldn't kick them out of the house for
not being het, which some of my friends in the States were suffering
from.

It does depend quite a bit on where you're at in Finland though...

-enk

[chickensexer]

According to the Bible, homosexuality is a sin,

But then how about this:

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

and the rest of David + Jonathan romance?

As for reaction of people.. I remember I happened to be in some teeny tiny town somewhere in Northern Minnesota, may be eFlom or something else of that sort.

The town people were in process of building a.. I don't remember what is it called, kind of church word for preacher's house. The new preacher was expected to arrive sometime soon to replace the previous one. The people of the town were not too happy with the fact that the new one is a female but they said "better safe than sorry".

It turned out that the previous preacher, a man in his 40-ies, married, with 3 kids suddenly came out to his family and eveyone, said that he had had a relation with a man for the past few years and he can't pretend being not what he is anymore. So he walked away from his family and together with his boyfriend they took off to Vermont or whatever was that place that allowed gay couples to get married. The population of the town was devastated.

Another story comes to my mind is that in Fargo, ND a police guy came out and it made it into newspapers. Quite many people then reacted like they were about to emigrate because of that.

[enk]

Chicken: just ask yourself why so many Bible-abiding "Christians"
eat pork and seafood yet condemn homosexuality.

-enk