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Fill in survey on hate crimes and hateful behaviour in Finland until May 10 2020

You can fill in Seta’s annual survey on hate crimes and other acts motivated by anti-LGBTIQ+ sentiment until May 10 2020. Seta will deliver the information provided to The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).  You can leave your response anonymously. Seta will not forward any other information to the OSCE than what is to be found in the survey’s responses. Seta may, however, use the information provided in our own advocacy work.

Responses from members of the public offer valuable insight into what sort of expressions of hate LGBTIQ+ people face in Finland and how anti-LGBTIQ+ sentiment is dealt with by the authorities. When reporting an incident in this survey, you do not personally need to know if the incident was in breach of The Criminal Code of Finland.

You can fill in the survey in English, Finnish or Swedish.

Seta and IGLYO: Gaps in LGBTIQ+ youths’ wellbeing need to be addressed

Helsinki Pride 2017.

Gender and sexual minorities human rights organisation Seta and the European LGBTQI+ youth and student organisation IGLYO demand the Finnish government to address gaps in the wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ youth. The situation of LGBTIQ+ youth across Europe is being discussed at IGLYO’s annual members conference taking place in Helsinki from Friday to Sunday.

“Significant gaps in the rights of gender and sexuality minor children and youth exist all across Europe, also in Finland. We know that LGBTIQ+ youth all over Europe experience violence and discrimination in schools without it being addressed properly. They also lack access to information about diversity of gender identities and sexual orientations. LGBTIQ+ are especially vulnerable because they often feel insecurity in their families“ says IGLYO’s co-chair Anna Robinson.

IGLYO has conducted a European-wide survey on LGBTQI+ Inclusive Education with the participation of over 15.000 LGBTIQ+ young people from all across Europe (13 to 24 year-old). Although results will only be published in 2020, a preliminary analysis shows that only 15% of the respondents have never experienced bullying or harrassment based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and variations in sex characteristics. This goes in line with other European research that shows that LGBTIQ+ students are 2 to 5 times more likely to experience this type of violence.

In Finland, preliminary results from the National School Health Survey (2019) indicate that different forms of violence are more common among especially vulnerable children and youth. The results show that youngsters with a physical disability, who have an immigrant background, who belong to gender and sexual minorities or are placed outside of homes experience significantly more of school bullying, sexually suggestive expressions or harassment, sexual violence and parental psychological or physical violence. (Ikonen & Helakorpi 2019)

Trans youth face mental health challenges more often than gender majority youth. Mental health problems are more frequent also among children who experience gender incongruence. About half of Finnish trans youth has had suicidal thoughts, almost all have experienced psychological violence and half have experienced physical violence. Violence and discrimination are experienced at home and at school.

Through it’s EU Presidency, Finland has sought to lead the advancement of LGBTQI+ rights across Europe. That leadership should, ideally, lead to Europe’s most progressive trans rights legislation in Finland. Progressive trans rights legislation is based on the right of trans people to determine their gender, without medical and bureaucratic intervention, regardless of their age:

“We cannot leave minors out when reforming the trans legislation in Finland. Young trans peoples’ well being increases when they are able to freely express their gender. This includes respecting the name chosen by the person and providing id papers matching their gender. Minors right to self determination also regarding their gender needs to be ensured” says Seve Hujanen, chair for Seta’s youth committee.

The right to non-discrimination is a key principle of the rights of the child. Vulnerable children like those belonging to gender and sexual minorities have the right to special protection.

“Promotion of the rights and wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ youth requires targeted measures whether we’re talking about the education sector, social and health services, prevention from violence or youth policies.” says Secretary General Kerttu Tarjamo from Seta. Effective monitoring and evaluation of all these measures is also necessary to ensure they are put in place and followed by all school systems.

A few weeks ago Finland put LGBTI human rights in the core of its EU Presidency by organising a high level LGBTI event in Brussels. At the event results on attitudes towards LGBTIQ+ people were presented. One of the key results was that the attitudes towards gender minorities are much harsher than towards sexual minorities.

“We know that only few countries in Europe have ensured minors’ rights to legal gender recognition. Finland could show further leadership on the European level by addressing trans minors rights in its own trans legislation. Leadership requires concrete steps” says Seta´s Secretary General Kerttu Tarjamo.

Additional information:

Results regarding the well-being of LGBTIQ+ youth will be published in November as part of the national plan to combat violence 2020-2025.

IGLYO is the biggest international LGBTQI+ youth and student umbrella organisation. IGLYO has 95 member organisations in over 40 countries. IGLYO works to make education safe and inclusive for all, build the capacity of young activists and increase visibility of LGBTQI+ people in Europe. IGLYO receives funding from the European Union, Council of Europe’s European Youth Foundation and the Government of the Netherlands.

Annual conference website: https://www.iglyo.com/amc/

Queer History Month is organized again in November 2019!

Seta and Culture for All Service call on cultural and memory organizations, schools and others to take part in the second Queer History Month in Finland during the whole of November 2019. The purpose of the month is to review Finnish history and culture from a queer perspective and include the queer narratives into our common cultural heritage.

The history of sexual and gender minorities has always existed and been present during all times, cultures and social classes, but it has mostly been written out or silenced. To find it requires sensibility and ability to see differently.

Queer history month that makes visible the history and cultural heritage of LGBTIQ minorities was held in Finland for the first time in 2018. Participants in the Queer History Month 2018 included for example the Labor Archives, the Finnish Labour Museum Werstas, Aine Art Museum, Ateneum Art Museum, AV Arkki, Finnish Literature Society, Goethe Institute, Helsinki City Museum, National Museum, National Theater, Swedish Literature Society in Finland and Yle Elävä Arkisto / Archive.

We challenge you and your organisation to take part in making the silenced history our shared cultural heritage!

How to join?

Queer History Month is an event that is open for all and you can join for exempel by some of the following activities.

Organise events or an exhibition: The month is realised through the funding of participating organizations. The organiser is responsible for their own events communication. From the autumn 2019 onwards, the Queer History Month team will gather information on events to the website: https://seta.fi/historiakuukausi/. Tell us about your event by filling in this form (in Finnish).

Bring LGBTIQ history to everyday life: Libraries can take part by organising exhibitions with books and/or other material related to the theme. Schools can organise theme days, invite experts to speak and discuss or arrange workshops.

Tell about LGBTIQ history: Share material and images associated with queer history on social media with the hashtags #sateenkaarihistoriakuukausi #queerhistoriskmånad #queerhistorymonth and on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sateenkaarihistoriakuukausi/

Tools and more ideas for queering culture can be found on the Queer History Month webpage.

More information 

Rita Paqvalén, 040–6743528, rita.paqvalen@cultureforall.fi / www.cultureforall.fi

Kerttu Tarjamo, 050 309 8108, paasihteeri@seta.fi / www.seta.fi

https://seta.fi/historiakuukausi/

https://www.facebook.com/sateenkaarihistoriakuukausi/

Austin Sears: Finnish elections inspire hope for continued lgbt activism

As a foreigner who does not yet have Finnish citizenship, the Parliamentary elections are both intriguing and nerve-wracking to me, as they have a major impact on my life as a permanent resident here. Finland is now the place I call home, the place where my friends live, the place where I work, and the place that I long for when I am abroad. I care deeply about the current and future state of my home.

This year’s Parliamentary Election feels vastly different than in 2015. Finland and Europe are very different places now than they were then. We’ve seen a rise in xenophobia, anti-immigration sentiments, increased securitization, and an uptick in hate crime targeting marginalized groups.

Same-sex marriage became legal in Finland in 2017, but conservative and religious actors have vehemently opposed this legislation, and actively work to reverse this ruling. Over the past four years, the majority government has also worked to privatize Finland’s already excellent public healthcare system, cut funding to education, and has opposed further work on addressing and combating climate change.

As with any election, there is an element of uncertainty and fear about what the future holds, regardless of what end of the political spectrum you support, and there are always things that candidates, parties, and voters would do better or differently if they were able to try again. This election feels particularly important to the issues outlined above, and also for improving the state of affairs for all people who live in Finland.

To all the people who stood up against hate, we thank you. The diversity and significance of this year’s group of Parliamentary hopefuls is indicative of a shift happening here in Finland. Here are some of the wins for queer people and other minorities that we’ve seen during this election cycle:

  • Over 500 candidates from both ends of the political spectrum publicly committed to Seta’s top 4 goals for parliamentary reform in this election: the creation of a National Rainbow Policy Action Plan, Trans law reform, securing rights for intersex people, and instating a third legal gender in Finland other than the existing male and female labels.
  • This is quite possibly the most diverse group of people to every run for Parliamentary Election throughout Finland, in terms of age, ethnic and racial identity, minority background, religious affiliation, language background, sexual orientation, and gender identity, among other things. Representation matters.
  • We have three openly trans people running for Parliament, and a number of other members of the queer community running as well.

A lot of work remains to be done to make Finland a better place for all. Also, we cannot forget about the upcoming European Union Parliamentary Elections in May, where we will also be able to impact the future of the European Union and continue to fight for minority and marginalized groups. We must stay vigilant and act against the significant increase in violence directed at candidates this year, and specifically at minority candidates.

On behalf of Seta’s committee on international affairs, we want to acknowledge and thank all the candidates and our allies who stood up against hate, advocated for human rights and gave us hope this spring. Your message has inspired and energized us for our work ahead.

Austin Sears, Seta’s committee on international affairs

Letters from LGBTIA youth to incoming Members of the Finnish Parliament

Join us and start writing letters to incoming members of the Parliament of Finland!

Us young people of the lgbtia-community often feel like politicians don’t quite understand what it’s like to be a young lgbtia person, and therefore we’re not always included in the decisions, even when those decisions directly affect our daily lives. In order to get our voices heard in the Parliament, it’s important to bring forth our own individual stories and ideas.

We at Seta’s Youth Committee want to encourage young lgbtia people to write about their life, their problems and anything they’ve always wanted the members of parliament to know. You can also write about how different changes in the legislation could personally change your life as a person of sexual/gender minority.

We mean to give these letters to the chairs of Parliamentary Groups, relevant committees and to the new possible Parliament’s LGBT- network after the elections. Our main goal is to build new understanding between decision-makers and young lgbtia people and in doing so, help the members of parliament to take us in consideration when they’re making important decisions. This way we’re also helping the members of parliament in making better decisions and being a part of a better, more equal Finland. The letters can also be published on our social media if given the permission of the writer.

On behalf of the Youth Committee,

Seve Hujanen, chairperson
seve.hujanen@seta.fi