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Kevin Vågenes is still a little good. He is in 2nd grade at the primary school. One afternoon he is on his way home from football training. Half asleep, he dreams that he is kissing another guy. “What was this for?” He thinks. – I had never seen two guys kiss before. Therefore, I thought that what I had seen in my dream was not right, Kevin Vågenes told today. He who always told his mother everything did not dare to say anything about what he had just witnessed in his own head. – We did not have Vegard Harm when I was little. There was no one to relate to. It was a road I knew little about. Photo: Oda Elise Svelstad / news «Will probably be normal» Today he is one of Norway’s most famous comedians who is open about who he is. But then he chose to put a lid on it. And the lid would sit for a long time. Very long. – I hoped it would pass. “I’m probably going to be normal in a quarter of an hour,” I said to myself. Shame was something Robert Stoltenberg also felt when he grew up. – I think many have. What is striking is that many of the younger ones have also felt ashamed, says Stoltenberg. Many thanks for The great pioneer in character humor thinks especially well when he as an 11-year-old saw gay activist Kim Friele on TV. Photo: Oda Elise Svelstad / news – I thought it was unbelievable that it is possible to be so tough and stand in it. It was so shameful. It was a non-topic, and then one stands up for it as she did. – We have an incredible amount to thank those who have been at the forefront of the train so that we can live as equal human beings today, Stoltenberg emphasizes. “Get away from you gay” Kevin kept his secret until he was 23 years old. After postponing it gong after gong, he decided to tell it to his mom on a mountain hike. – It was something I had to feel confident in myself, before I could talk to anyone else about it. On a bench in the woods, Kevin finally broke the lid. – I thought we were done by then. But then it was so that all the years I had put a lid on it came up again. So we both sat there and cried, he said. His mother went home to tell the rest of the family. When Kevin came after, and approached the house, he saw his father and brothers standing outside. The father waved his arms and shouted: “Get away your gay!”. Well and notice on meat. – I started laughing, they laughed and we hugged. Dad stood with tears in his eyes. And I saw in his eyes that he meant the opposite of what he said. It was just a way to break the ice, Vågenes emphasizes. Kevin Vågenes took his mother on a mountain hike when he was told that he was gay. Photo: Oda Elise Svelstad / news Uncomfortable situations Afterwards he felt an enormous relief. He was much freer in social settings, and had better contact with people. Despite a positive development of gay rights, both he and Robert Stoltenberg have experienced unpleasant episodes. Kevin Vågenes has been subjected to harassment and threats several times. It was extra disgusting when a man in a military jacket stopped and looked at Kevin from head to toe. He had hatred in his eyes. – He behaved in a very threatening way. The man starts spitting at him. – Then I feel that the heart begins to beat. He is clearly provoked that I exist. Fortunately, Kevin is rescued by a Securitas guard. The man in the military jacket is walking. – And then he smiles and says “fucking pack”. What would have happened if the Securitas guard had not come? Kevin asks himself today. Pride is the expression of diversity Vågenes further points out that there is a lot of turbidity out there. That is precisely why it is important to mark Pride, he says: – Because it communicates that one has the right to live the life one wants. It is important that children get that message early. Robert Stoltenberg agrees. – I am happy and grateful that I live in a time where one can live a good life as a gay man. In that way, Pride is an expression that we can enjoy ourselves, have fun, celebrate ourselves, life and diversity. Robert Stoltenberg is happy to have worked in an inclusive industry. Photo: Oda Elise Svelstad / news Looking for gays Together, they have now joined forces to make a sketch series in connection with Pride. In the series, they enter the well-known characters Birthe and Jeanette. The duo has namely been the HR manager at news and has been commissioned to increase the number of open gays in news. They take some creative steps, and several well-known profiles appear. “Birthe and Jeanette are looking for queer” can be seen on news TV. Photo: news – I hope it helps the young people to see two gay character players who are allowed to joke about orientation and who we are, says Vågenes and emphasizes that this is not always our case. According to Inge Alexander Gjestvang, who is a camper in FRI, Vågenes and Stoltenberg have meant a lot to many. – Representation of diversity means a lot. It is important for many to have open and visible queer to reflect in so that they see that they are not the only one in the world. He also believes that it is a sign of health that someone’s gender and sexuality may be subordinate to other qualities and qualifications. – That way you can make a career because you know something, and not because you are something, Gjestvang adds. Inge Alexander Gjestvang is a member of FRI – the Association for Gender and Sexuality Diversity. Photo: Press photo / FRI Extra tough in macho cultures Vågenes and Stoltenberg have never encountered prejudice or warts discriminated against in the industry they have worked in. But Stoltenberg is aware that it still exists in certain environments. – It is a crossroads that there are no more football players who are gay. In male-dominated industries, or in a profession with a macho culture, it can certainly be extra tough. Therefore, he thinks it is very nice to see that the police, the defense and other professional groups are in the Pride parade. – And then it has a fantastic signal effect on young people, who see that being gay, it should not stop you from realizing your dreams and measuring your. You can watch the Pride party in Oslo live on news 1 and news TV on Saturday from 14.



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