"Or, come in late August like me, and you might just stumble upon the local Pride march, one of the world's only Pride events to take place above the Arctic Circle. If you're used to Pride in London or Brighton Pride, Senja Pride will come as a culture shock. There's no Mariah Carey performance or gaggle of corporate sponsors, but there is a sweet community spirit, and a heartwarming reminder of why Pride is needed everywhere, but more crucially in small, rural areas."
""There has not always been acceptance for queer people," Beate Moeggen, the organiser of Senja Pride, tells me. She's spent the past few days butting heads with a small group of angry locals on social media, who are incensed that the group has been awarded 38,000 NOK - less than £3,0000 - by the municipality. Senja Pride started in 2023, yet pushback remains."
Senja is Norway's second-largest island with striking seasonal contrasts: deep-winter snow and vivid Northern Lights, and a brief summer (mainly July) offering beaches like Ersforden framed by tall mountains. A local Pride march takes place in late August, one of the few above the Arctic Circle, emphasizing community spirit rather than commercial spectacle. Organiser Beate Moeggen reports ongoing social-media pushback after Senja Pride received 38,000 NOK in municipal funding. Senja Pride began in 2023. Earlier pioneering Arctic Pride events include 2017's Barents Pride in Kirkenes, held in defiance of Russia's anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Norway's broader political climate is shifting with growing support for right-wing parties.
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