Bella Forsgrén, (The Greens) Finland’s first Black woman member of Parliament representing the Central Finland constituency took to her Facebook page to express her view on the Pride Week that is been celebrated in most Western Nations.
The annual event which was inaugurated in the United States in 1970 aims at celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary and queer (LGBTQ) social and self acceptance, achievements, legal rights, and pride. The events also at times serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage.
In Finland, Pride festivals have become a permanent part of the summer party scene in Helsinki, Tampere and Turku as well as in other cities in Finland.
Below is her translated post on The Pride Week
The next post was hard to write. How to write about difficult growth experiences openly and at the same time without hurting your loved ones. Perhaps honesty is the best path.
I’ve been blessed in many ways by a lovely family. I’ve been given lots of love and care. Childhood is full of more joyful memories than each other. In many ways, I’ve had the chance to live a very safe childhood without worrying. However, I felt that I was left without support in questions related to sexual identity.
I used the word blessed consciously. It’s honest to say I’ve been raised conservatively. This was reflected on how sexual and gender minorities were talked to me as a child. In many ways it was ignorance and ignorance of a certain different. On the other hand, a pure different worldview.
Pride has a big personal meaning to me. I followed the Pride procession as a kid interested in the media. I remember seeing the first times in a procession when two same sex people kissed and showed affection to each other. I also remembered the color gloss and party mood of the procession.
Oh the feeling when I first participated in pride week. I had suddenly found a community where I didn’t have to explain myself. I felt like I was breathing freely for the first time. The feeling of Pride party cohesion has given strength to promote human rights even at the level of politics.
Pride has gotten bigger and bigger in the past years. This has been a pleasure to follow. At the same time, there has been some kind of pink washing, meaning that some of the actors present themselves as LGBT friendly just to raise their own image. Unfortunately, actions remain only at the level of advertising and rhetoric.
I dream of a society where everyone would have the opportunity to flourish as they are, without fear of discrimination or violence every day – not just once a year for a week.
I especially dream that for everyone looking for themselves a child and a young person should hear from their loved ones that it is good just the way it is. There’s room in the world just for you
