When the Bømlo municipality in Norway decided to raise the rainbow LGBTQA flag in support of the Pride parade in the municipality next door, Stord, the right wing Christian Party (Partiet De Kristne) reported the incident to the Police.

The police argued that the municipality could not raise the rainbow flag, as the Pride event was taking place outside the district.

The leader of Storapride, Anna Sofie Ekeland Valvatne, disagreed, arguing that the major of Bømlo would take part in the parade, as would many others from that district.



The local population of Bømlo, didn’t care much about the legal technicalities. On Monday the whole municipality was decorated with rainbow flags.

Carine Sønstabø Halleraker and her mother Marthe Karine Sønstabø Halleraker told the Norwegian Newspaper Bergens Tidende that they were convinced the majority of the citizens of Bømlo support the use of the flag:

“As far as I am concerned, this is not a matter for debate,” Marthe said. “You either accept people, or you don’t.”

The “Christian Party” is a small party of the kind of destructive, dark, “evalgelicalism” you find in the US. The much larger Norwegian Christian People’s Party supported the decision to raise the rainbow flag. All the major parties of Norway, right wing or left wing, support LGBTQA rights.

Ironically the slogan for the Christian Party is “Freedom and safety for all”. Queer and trans people are clearly not included in their “all”.

Photos: Marthe Karine Sønstabø Halleraker