Married couple Karoline and Tina Granum sit on the sofa in their own living room in Nord-Aurdal in Valdres. The interview with news is interrupted by message sounds and ringing phones. Hearts and rainbow emojis are pouring into the inbox from people who have read the case about the hateful letter they received in the mail last Sunday. – The comment field exploded, messages ticked in and the phone rang all at once. I do not have words. There is an extremely large reaction in the community around us here in Valdres and elsewhere in Norway, says Karoline. – I think more people are on the ball. The handwritten anonymous letter contained serious harassment and hatred towards the gay couple and their family. The letter states, among other things, that Karoline and Tina should not have any more children: “Had I seen that my kid was going to go with the “son” of two pussy-lickers, I would have changed schools. Which of you is the mother and who is the father?” HANDWRITTEN: This is what the handwritten letter from the anonymous sender looks like. The hate letter had a stamp and was posted with the couple’s address. The letter writer shows that the person in question knows a lot about the family. Among other things, the envelope was inscribed with Karoline’s name, but also her former surname. Photo: Privat Karoline’s Facebook post alone has received over 7,000 reactions. The case is also shared by all the national media in Norway, where the comment fields are full of love for the married couple. Karoline is overwhelmed by the response. She believes the shooting incident in Oslo in June was a wake-up call for many. – That’s why I think more people are also on the ball now, because time and time again you see hate speech. I think a lot of people have woken up a bit, and that many see that we have a way to go. It may not be as good as people thought it was, she says. A LOT OF EMOTIONS: – It has created a rollercoaster of emotions. Sometimes we cry, other times we laugh, says Karoline about the letter. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news – Pride is important for the local community this year Saturday 3 September is Valdre’s pride by train in the center of Fagernes, where the Granum couple will take part, among others. Outside Valdre’s street car premises, there are already cars to mark the day. Eventually there will be more, in all the colors of the rainbow, who will lead the train. LINE UP: William Scott in Valdre’s street car (tv) and cultural consultant in Nord-Aurdal municipality Lars Isachsen Jemterud (th) will take part in the pride marking in Fagernes on Saturday. The train will be led by cars in all the colors of the rainbow. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news Lars Isachsen Jemterud is a cultural consultant in Nord-Aurdal municipality. He says the pride marking is particularly important for the local community this year. – As a municipality and society, it is very important to have all aspects of society present. It turns out that it is needed, he says after the incident with the letter. Jemterud says that the hateful statements in the letter do not represent the opinions elsewhere in the municipality. – There is direct opposition to such statements, he says. Trettebergstuen: – Immensely sad Culture and Equality Minister Anette Trettebergstuen says that LGBT+ people in Norway are exposed to massive harassment on a daily basis, even though Norway is one of the most equal countries in the world. – We cannot turn a blind eye to that. We know that queer people generally have worse living conditions than others – precisely because they are exposed to bullying, incitement and harassment. She reacts strongly to the hateful letter the Granum couple received in the mail. – There is no doubt that this letter bears the stamp of hatred – aimed at queers. What worries me is that parents have this kind of attitude – which they probably spread to their children. That makes this letter so incredibly sad and terrible in every possible way. CAN REACH THE TARGET: – What’s so good is that we can all do something. We can all speak up, and we can call those who are exposed to this. If we all do our part, I think we can reach the goal, says Trettebergstuen. Here from the pride parade in Kristiansand this year. Photo: Hans Erik Weiby / news – What should you politicians do to stop this? – We must not be naive. These types of letters or slurs on queers keep popping up. We have to take that seriously. We as politicians must contribute with our instruments to try to work towards this. We are working on a new action plan for LGBT+ people, where we look at living conditions. There are many things we have to do, but we won’t get ahead unless everyone pulls together. Trettebergstuen says queers encounter the most love and support, but that we all have a job to do. Not only when such events happen, but also on a daily basis. Glad they shared the story The Granum couple hopes everyone who can attend the commemoration in the center of Fagernes on Saturday. – It is more important than ever. It will be the first proper celebration here at Fagernes. I hope many will stand up and show that we are one common community, that is us, says Karoline. Wife Tina is glad they shared the story of the letter. – You get extra courage to stand up and make sure that this is not forgotten. We wouldn’t have had a chance to fight for queer rights if we hadn’t had the people of Norway behind us. HOPE PEOPLE WILL MEET: – Many say we stand together on this and that we are not alone, says the couple who hope the train in Fagernes will be full of people. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news
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– I think a lot of people are awake – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
