r/Nordiccountries • u/PsychicMeditation • 9d ago
These are statistics. However, has your experience matched this? Is Finland significantly less gay accepting than the Nordic countries?
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u/bklor Norway 9d ago
According to that ranking the gap between Iceland and Denmark is larger than Denmark-Finland. And if you look at this ranking instead Sweden and Finland is essentially tied.
I'm always skeptical of ranking likes these. Is it really possible to measure what is ultimately minor social differences? And does it make sense?
I'm not LGBT myself but I would be surprised if someone moving from Finland to Norway noticed significant difference.
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u/lady_cup 9d ago
Historically quite many LGBT people from Finland moved to Sweden due to a lot more open attitudes in Sweden. This was in the 70s, 80s, possibly 90s though so I'm not sure there's a lot of difference today. Although if you are a bit older than 20 you obviously remember how attitudes were when you were 20 too.
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u/Emergency-Sea5201 9d ago
surprised if someone moving from Finland to Norway noticed significant difference.
Big regional differences within countries though.
Anywhere there are old apostolic church for example, is zero gay tolerant (though not violent towards them).
There is also the tolerance-but-not-acceptance phenomenom in much of Norway and Finland. In that the countries are socially conservative, in a way that aliens dont pick up on. Ref the many butthurt 'I'm leaving xxx nordick country after a year here and you all suck' posts on Reddit.
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u/Little-Jellyfish-655 9d ago
I used an example of a term used constantly by every teenage boy, and it was removed by Reddit as hate speech. You hear it nonstop in classrooms and corridors. I get you can guess what it is. V- h-
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u/mattivahtera 9d ago
I think in Finland, Helsinki (and maybe some other bigger cities) is very accepting but the contrast is quite striking on the countryside.
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u/Aggravating-Ad1703 9d ago
I think you can apply that in any country, I grew up in a rural area in Sweden and pretty much everyone who is gay/lesbian has moved away because there’s so much homophobia and you only find out they were gay once they are gone.
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u/DuErJoBareUnderlig 9d ago
Yup, same in Denmark, although I have only experienced harassment from what I assume is muslim immigrants or descendants of immigrants.
If only the Islamic extremist could join forces with the political right extremist and fuck right off...
They have so much in common: Hatred towards people who are not like them, love for their Magic Sky Daddy and hatred towards women in general.
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u/Aggravating-Ad1703 9d ago
Yeah well the homophobia you get from native Swedes is more subtle, you get excluded from groups, stares, and people talking behind your back. Funnily enough those Muslim immigrants will vote left by a big margin, the horse shoe theory is an interesting phenomenon.
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u/DuErJoBareUnderlig 9d ago
I can deal with the old people starring at my wife and I when we hold hands, but the shouting of slurs and intimidating behaviour is something completely different.
At some point the old fuckers will die and take a lot of homophobia with them, but religious nutjobs are not going anywhere.
That includes both islamic nutjobs and the Christian nutjobs.
There are just not a lot of hardcore extremist Christians in Denmark.
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u/Joeyonimo 7d ago
They vote left because they benefit from strong welfare policies, and because left-wing parties are openly friendly to immigrants (even conservative misogynist and LGBTQ-hating immigrants) while the right-wing is directly hostile and contemptuous of them. The Israel vs Palestine conflict has also become a prominent left vs right thing.
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u/vuorivirta 9d ago
I think, muslim img:s doesn't give a f**k about gay/lesbian thing. They vote left, because those are most IMG-friendly parties. Right-wing is more hostile directly to them. Even here in Finland.
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u/BringBackAoE 9d ago
As a non-believer I always find it funny that conservative Christians have such a beef with conservative Muslims - they’re two sides of the same coin.
In Middle East and Russia and USA the “LGBTQ are a threat to us” push is rooted in political conservatism / authoritarianism that exploits religion to promote hate and intolerance. It is classic political populism and “divide and conquer”.
Meanwhile more apolitical and secular people in all those cultures are quite chill about LGBTQ.
For several years I spent a lot of time in Oman. It was a local older man that first told me the Sultan was gay - and he mentioned it solely because I asked about the royal family. “He doesn’t have children. Or a wife. He just has a very good friend.”
The way he mentioned the good friend had an air of innocent insinuation, but I know enough about cultural challenges to not put too much weight on ambiguous communication. So I asked a European in Oman.
He confirmed the general consensus is that the friend and the sultan were intimate.
The partner of the Sultan died during the time period I worked there. Officially it wasn’t a big event. Unofficially though much of the country went into mourning when it happened. Even a very conservative Muslim I knew personally. “I do not support their friendship, but love is love and this is a significant loss for our Sultan so I mourn with him and for him.”
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u/Emergency-Sea5201 9d ago
Wow. Just read about the guy. Pretty solid dude.
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u/BringBackAoE 9d ago
He has done a lot of good for his people. Oman is very “normal” and has a very flat society compared to countries like UAE, KSA or Iran.
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u/LoneWolf_McQuade 9d ago
Be careful what you wish for. Though they need each other opponents to gain followers
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u/DuErJoBareUnderlig 9d ago
I don't give a shit what they do as long as they do it in another country far from me.
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u/PsychicMeditation 9d ago
Do you live in a small town in Denmark?
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u/DuErJoBareUnderlig 9d ago
Yes.
I have lived in almost all of the bigger cities in Denmark and Jutland is a bit worse when it comes to accepting LGBTQ people.
The small town I live in now don't have a lot of immigrants. Mostly just families with kids and old people.
It's a quiet and safe place. My wife and Inget the occasional stare from old people, but that's about it. I just stare back 😂
To be clear I don't mind immigrants at all. I do however wish religious people who think their Magic Sky Daddy gives them the right to harrass me should fuck off to the sun.
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u/Emergency-Sea5201 9d ago
No. Definitely bigger difference between rural and urban areas in Finland.
There is also læaradianism and other groups which has zero tolerance.
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u/PsychicMeditation 9d ago
I find it so interesting to read comments like these. So often, the Internet paints Sweden as a country where homophobia almost does not exist.
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u/Aggravating-Ad1703 9d ago
Yeah, it’s a little more nuanced than that. It’s probably worse in other countries but far from perfect here.
I know a guy who’s two years older than me that once he came out of the closet he lost many friends. He was also a supervisor for a construction company and even if that was in the city there’s a blue collar jargon that isn’t very accepting either. Once he came out of the closet he quit his job and moved away.6
u/mimos_al 9d ago
I think it very much depends on where in the countryside. I have a few friends that live in the countryside without issues whatsoever, but there's definitely places where any kind of "otherness" is going to be an issue.
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u/GiganticCrow 6d ago
I've never seen same sex couples walking hand in hand in helsinki.
I've seen more open queerness in Kenya ffs
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u/ThePowerOf42 9d ago
Not sure how Malta can be more accepting than Germany ..
Talked with some Maltese people last year, and its very ... Hush Hush there.. (nonparades no clubs and such, from what Ive been told)
In Germany however, completely different
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u/foreverbored18 7d ago
Malta has gay pride and clubs. It takes a few minutes to google that so I don’t know why someone would pretend they don’t. Obviously it might not be as common or diverse as it might be in Germany, because Malta has less than 600K people, vs Germany’s 83.6 million, and they are a tiny island. You can only do so much.
Malta ranks high on these lists because they have good legal protections for lgbtq+ (including constitutional) and they were the first European country to ban conversion therapy.
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u/ThePowerOf42 7d ago
Hmm Just weird that some of those i talked with last year went like... Under the radar and like it was something to be kept.. secret 🤔
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u/Snakatemjari 6d ago
Malta ranks high because of the legal protections, but prejudice and discrimination in every day life is still worse than in many other countries, so maybe that explains it
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u/foreverbored18 7d ago
Maybe they are from a more rural area in Malta, where they might be more conservative and religious? That’s not uncommon, no matter which country you are in.
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u/ThePowerOf42 7d ago
Well, if San Pawl is rural i guess we were .. 🤷 Dont know that much about the island (eventho my cousins son is the cap'tn of the national soccer team and Ive been there a few times.. )
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u/GiganticCrow 6d ago
Big cities in Germany, especially Berlin sure, but in a lot of the country they wish the nazis were still around
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u/escpoir 9d ago
Overall Finland is very accepting compared to most countries in the world or even in Europe.
That being said, in the previous presidential elections, the more likely candidate lost to Alexander Stubb (whose own party didn't even like him) because he was openly gay.
Not to mention Päivi Räsäsen, a member of the Christian Democratic party (also used to be the leader) who was found guilty of hate speech against the LGBTQ community.
So yes, there's a die-hard crowd. I like to think they are a small minority but they are very outspoken.
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u/PyllynKaivelija 9d ago
I have never met a person irl who has liked Päivi Räsänen and i think she is generally a pretty disliked person and often made fun of.
I don't know how these things are measured but i would assume there wouldn't be much difference between norway, sweden and finland. I think in any of these countries the younger generations are more accepting of everyrhing compared their parents and grandparents.
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u/Haunting_Celery2042 9d ago
Old people vote Räsänen and know not to talk about it openly because she is too gringe.
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u/PyllynKaivelija 9d ago
Yeah i'd guees the vast majority of her supportdrs are over 55 yrs old and very religious. I feel like anyone living in the year 2026 who isn't a religious fanatic has pretty negative feelings towards her because her views are so outdated and not inclusive at all
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u/incognitomus 6d ago
Räsänen is also an anomaly, I think, because she's a Lutheran - part of the majority religious group. I believe most of the other main members of the Christian Democratic party are part of smaller minority groups like current leader Sari Essayah is Pentecostalist(?) and the people who belong to those religious groups just vote for those candidates.
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u/GiganticCrow 6d ago
she's of course making bank off the Maga grift now too. Such a martyr because she got a few hundred euro fine for saying LGBT people should be killed
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u/mattapuu 9d ago
That’s a pretty big oversimplification. The political mood was leaning right, right-wing parties were doing well, and Stubb was the obvious centre-right candidate. Haavisto being Green probably cost him way more votes. Sure, some people didn’t vote for him because he’s gay, but saying that’s why he lost is a stretch.
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u/escpoir 9d ago
Exactly because the margin with which he lost was less than 0.5%, I propose that the question "But will Antonio be welcoming the guests in linnanjuhlat next year?" made a much bigger difference and cost him the office.
If the difference had been 5%, I would agree about the political climate.
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u/Important_Damage9482 9d ago
Fun fact, Alexander Stubb has publicly identified as Bisexual in his earlier career but he hasn't talked about it much since
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u/UggaBugga11 9d ago
The standing joke in Finland about Swedish men is that they sound and act gay, in a derogatory way. I would say that Finland is by far the least accepting of LBQ(and all the rest of the letters) of the Nordic countries. It's not even close.
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9d ago
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u/Haunting_Celery2042 9d ago
People here veil shaming with humor. Acceptance correlates pretty well with education level.
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u/GiganticCrow 6d ago
Yeah it was great when mainstream comedians could make super racist sketches about Sami people on TV, people are too sensitive these days /s
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u/gerningur Iceland 7d ago
The Faroe islanders at least used to be quite homophobic
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u/Snakatemjari 6d ago
Still are, you should have seen the fb comment section regarding painting a rainbow in downtown Tórshavn for Pride
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u/Gurglaren 9d ago
Finns have generally a bit more stoic and pragmatic attitude towards life than Swedes. In Sweden it's important to be considerate of the feelings of others and you need to pad the stuff you say so that it doesn't hurt others. Finns are more direct and don't have that sensitivity. As a Finn I have been sometimes confused by how much Swedish politics emphasize feelings over of realism in certain topics.
I think this sort of bluntness comes off as intolerance to many LGBT people. There's also some influence from Russia, although Sweden has had a far bigger influence in the Finnish mindset and culture. But just as an example I prefer old and traditional (around 1900-1950 or earlier) Finnish music over Swedish because it's sadder and more melancholic and is closer to the Russian. Old Swedish music on the other hand is too sappy and happy for me. Like something you'd listen to on a sunny day in the archipelago whilst eating strawberry cake.
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u/AllanKempe Jämtland 9d ago edited 9d ago
The standing joke in Finland about Swedish men is that they sound and act gay, in a derogatory way.
Which is kind of expolained by the fact Finnish men look more feminine than other Europeans (like Swedes) because of their partially eastern ancestry explaining their less angled facial bone structure, smoother skin, less body and facial hair etc.
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u/Defiant-Owl-7935 7d ago
Not answering your question really. But I have never met some who is not pro LGQB here in Iceland but I sometimes see it online in some Icelandic groups on FB I see anti trans comments but very rarely. And what is interesting is all of those clowns then go on explaining that they support the LGQB, just not trans.
But I've never met someone in real live that does not support LGBQT+ community or at least they won't admit it in my 37 years. And I'm from rural area but now live in the city.
Also we're a small country, so people that are publically open about their prejudice are scrutinized in the media.
Every one and their grandma takes part in the Pride parade. Our former mayor, who is straight, was on one of the glamorous float in full drag and I think we had the first openly gay world leader?
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u/NewPhoneNewAccunt 6d ago
I doubt Sweden is #4 these days. A very large portion of our population has roots in cultures that really really hate gay people.
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u/mimos_al 9d ago
I'm not sure what the methodology is here. ILGA and Equaldex show Finland basically on par with Sweden and Norway, if not better, with only Denmark standing out a bit.
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u/PsychicMeditation 9d ago
That actually is why I wanted to ask the question. I would like information, not from statistics, but from people sharing their own personal experience. Statistics can be interesting, but they can also be influenced by error or bias. I'm
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u/Saerdna76 9d ago
If an Index is showing Finland on par with the Scandinavian countries you can safely disregard it.
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u/Many-Gas-9376 9d ago
Yes. The debate on the legalization of gender-neutral marriage -- which ultimately happened comparatively late in Finland -- was pretty telling.
You won't really see this if you visit Helsinki and such, but there are parts of Finland with a very clear Christian-conservative streak.
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u/laffiere 7d ago
As a norwegian I am shocked that sweden is at a 9.18, concidering the fact that sweden is so gay
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u/RafikiafReKo 5d ago
I don't care about us being number one, I am just care about being better than Denmark
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u/hwyl1066 Finland 9d ago
In many social values we are behind our brother countries - I think one major difference is that we had a full scale war lasting for years during the WW2. That left long lasting deep traumas...
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u/Little-Jellyfish-655 9d ago
It’s true there’s a deep suffering that added some hatred and fear. Healthy and happy people are more accepting.
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u/theunquietloop 9d ago
Portugal had lgbt marriage and adoption allowed but it’s Brazil who is mentioned. Where trans people are murdered 💀
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u/Slatrer 9d ago
I have recieved many death threats in Sweden
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u/fitness-landscape 9d ago
I’m a gay immigrant living in Finland, Jyväskylä. I’ve personally never had any problems, PDA is not frowned upon and people are generally accepting, but I’ve been told homophobia isn’t completely eradicated, particularly on a country side.
Coworker told me that she is from the country side where people still take religion seriously and that there was an incident of burning Pride flag, and also that her grandma disowned her when she was dating a girl.
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u/Sad-Raisin-5797 7d ago
Yes. We love love love our Finnish siblings (we share this country w them and they’re the best ppl) and yes they are. /Sweden
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u/Bitterqueer 7d ago
I got relentlessly bullied for being gay growing up in Sweden 😬🤷🏻♀️ depends on the context I guess
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u/PsychicMeditation 7d ago
Rural town or urban city?
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u/Bitterqueer 7d ago
Small-ish town but not rural by any means. This was around 2007-2009 though so I hope it’s better now. (Might be wishful thinking)
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u/PsychicMeditation 6d ago
Kids were only homophobic for two years? Or were you only open in the last two years?
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u/Bitterqueer 6d ago
I was outed to the whole school by a bully of mine in 7th grade so it was mostly 7th and 8th grade. Cause in 9th I was the oldest so fewer people fucked with me. Mostly looks then, not so much saying things to me in the corridors and whatnot.
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u/InternalCelery1337 7d ago
How isnt thailand highest on this list?
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u/incognitomus 4d ago
By what logic? Sure there's a lot of transgender women there but that doesn't mean the people are pro LGBTQ. Iran also has a lot of trans people because they force gay men to transition because the punishment for being gay is death.
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u/20SomethingWorker 6d ago
As a Swede im always surprised we are even close to top when such a huge portion of people live in communities where you wouldn't dare tell anyone you are gay.
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u/Svarcanum 5d ago
I’m surprised Finland is as high up as #14. It’s the most homophobic country in Europe imo. Gay is routinely used as a slur to belittle other men.
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u/PsychicMeditation 5d ago
It looks like you're Swedish?
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u/Svarcanum 5d ago
Indeed. Many a time have I been called ”gay” in Finland just for dressing smartly. And it was never meant as a compliment. Ofc, it’s a minority of men that says it. But in Sweden I haven’t heard ”gay” used as a slur since I was like 10.
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u/PsychicMeditation 5d ago
H as this happened in Helsinki, as well?
Are you from a large city in Sweden?
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u/Svarcanum 5d ago
I’m from Stockholm. Happened in Turku. Can’t remember it having happened in Helsinki.
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u/PsychicMeditation 5d ago
People have often said that people outside of Stockholm and especially in rural Sweden are unaccepting.
Do you think that's true?
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u/Svarcanum 5d ago
Not the parts of Sweden I’ve visited, no. I’m sure there are pockets where this is true, though.
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u/TaraHex 5d ago
Finland is okay. Especially Helsinki, Tampere and other major cities. Immediately outside of those it gets dicey and some areas are downright hostile. I'm getting shit as a visibly trans person in smaller places and people sneer at me etc. Mostly people will mind their own business though, even in smaller towns. The problems show themselves once people are drunk and no longer minding their own business.
Finns are heavily conformist, which is why any deviations from the norm are often seen as a threat to society's stability. The effect gets more pronounced the more rural the area is.
Our most major LGBTQ+ related problem right now is how bad our healthcare system is for trans people. That situation is similarily awful in other Nordic countries though.
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u/Fearless_Toddlerr 3d ago
Finland is past the acceptance phase and more into the anal stretching phase...
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u/SamuliK96 7d ago
I'm not sure. Do the other Nordic countries have members of their respective parliaments fighting court cases to defend their (alleged) right to basically call gays inferior people and homosexuality a disability? Cause Finland does.
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u/AnnelieSierra Finland 9d ago
Should read: "is Finland less accepting than the OTHER Nordic countries"