– I ate a lot of pasta then, so it was pasta today too, says Pil Ulheim. The weekday for the student from Ålesund is exactly the same as the weekday for countless young people in the rest of the country: school, work, going to the shop, hanging out with friends and pursuing their hobbies. The small – or quite central – thing that separates Ulheim from many others is that they are queer and use a different pronoun than most. Just being non-heterosexual has a big impact on how people feel, according to the quality of life survey from Statistics Norway. The survey finds, again, that queers have a lower quality of life than heterosexuals. – It’s crazy, but it’s not a surprise in any way, says Ulheim. In 2022, the same survey found exactly the same. Sexuality is not necessarily to blame According to Statistics Norway, non-heterosexuals are overrepresented in several of the groups that are associated with a lower quality of life. For example, non-heterosexuals are younger than heterosexuals, have a lower income and struggle more often financially. When controlling for these factors, Statistics Norway believes that there is no greater likelihood that gays, lesbians or queers have a lower quality of life than others. Bisexuals, pansexuals, asexuals and those with fluid sexuality have a greater chance of being dissatisfied with life – regardless of whether you control for the same factors. Statistics Norway emphasizes that the number of people who belong to these groups who take part in the Quality of Life survey can lead to uncertainty in the number. Outsiderness makes it worse Pil Ulheim believes that outsiderness is a feeling many queer people have, and that it can explain many of the problems that go on. – It is not a problem that is exclusive to non-heterosexuals, but with them the feeling of being outside is often much greater. It is something I am made aware of almost every day – how different I am. Ulheim has worked both with children and in customer service in the past, and says their orientation and gender identity have taken up more space than it would if they were cis and straight. – I have worked a lot with people, and it is very nice. But that also comes with its own challenges, especially if you have an identity that is not so conventional, says Ulheim, and makes a mockery of the last word. They say they don’t get angry if people are genuinely interested in their identity – despite the fact that it may have nothing to do with the situation. – It’s not that I have anything against explaining it, but when it happens thirty times a day, it becomes a bit much for one person to handle, says Ulheim. Going to the grocery store probably looks pretty similar to the vast majority of people. For some, the fact that someone may come to criticize or harass about gender or orientation is an additional stressor. Even Pil Ulheim doesn’t know too much about it, at least not always. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news More knowledge is needed, believes the Free Leader of the Association for Gender and Sexuality Diversity, Hilde Arntsen, is not surprised by the investigation by Statistics Norway. She believes that raising awareness is needed to remedy the problem. – It is not being queer in itself that makes one’s life worse. It is about how one is met in society, right from one’s own family as a child to the public space, says Arntsen. The head of Fri, Hilde Arntsen, is happy that the public thinks that groups such as lesbians and gays are better off. She believes that it comes from targeted work, but that there is still much that needs to be done. Photo: Jan Kenneth Bråten / news She also believes that the debate climate in Norway is getting worse, among other things too queer. The Minister for Gender Equality wants more communication – I am not satisfied, as Minister for Gender Equality, with these words, says Lubna Jaffery (Ap). She likes the action plan the government has drawn up to, among other things, improve the living conditions for queer people in Norway, and says today’s figures from Statistics Norway underline that the fight for equality is far from over. Equality Minister Lubna Jaffery (Ap) says the new survey shows that there is a way to go – badly to help the minority of the minority within the “non-heterosexual” group. Photo: Jan Kenneth Bråten / news Among other things, she wants to communicate more with organizations such as Fri og Keiv ungdom to find concrete steps politicians can take for queers. Nevertheless, she is happy for the glimmer of light in the survey that lesbians and gays are better off. – Fortunately, it seems that the fight for equality is working, but we are not finished, says Jaffery. Are they actually doing well Ulheim says that, regardless of what the survey says about non-heterosexuals as a group, they are actually doing very well. They have lovers, friends and study something they are passionate about – art. At the same time, the queer is always present, regardless of whether it is relevant to what Ulheim is doing or not. – I think about completely different things than what my cis and heterosexual friends do. A lot goes into the burden, in a way, of being the person I am, says Ulheim. They say that being queer in itself is not a burden, but since society is constructed for those who are cis and heterosexual and not queer, they struggle to find a peace that others may find easier to find. – If I were heterosexual and cis, I would have had completely different things to think about and focus on. I had also chosen a completely different direction in life, I think, says Ulheim. Pil Ulheim lives in a dormitory and goes to Ytre kunstfagskule in Ålesund. Their room is full of posters, drawings and other art projects. Ulheim, they say, is the art to express their own identity and to comment on society’s attitudes towards queers – something their queer identity naturally helps to control. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news
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Queer people have worse living conditions than heterosexuals, SSB says Quality of life survey – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
