sweden
On this day December 8: Gustaf V ascends Swedish throne
On December 8, 1907, Gustaf V succeeded to the throne of Sweden. He proved a popular king, overseeing the country’s transition to a constitutional monarchy. However, following his death in 1950, revelations emerged of a long-drawn-out gay blackmail scandal. As a young man, Gustaf’s family worried about his passion for embroidery, an activity generally associated …
Gay priest Lars Gårdfeldt refuses to marry straight couples
Openly gay Swedish priest, Lars Gårdfeldt, declared Wednesday he would stop marrying heterosexual couples. The gay priest from a parish in Gothenburg made the declaration ahead of a church election on Sunday. Although the Church of Sweden has allowed same-sex marriages since 2009, it allows priests with conscientious objections to refuse to perform a marriage. …
Watch and listen: first two releases from ABBA Voyage
ABBA, the 70s Swedish supergroup this morning announced their first new album in 40 years. The group will release ABBA Voyage featuring all brand new material on 5 November. Today, the band released two songs from the album, the ballad ‘I Still Have Faith in You’ and the radio-friendly ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’. Scroll down …
Princess Mary calls for LGBTIQ equality at Copenhagen WorldPride
Australian-born Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has called for global LGBTIQ equality in a speech at the biennial mega-festival WorldPride in Copenhagen. WorldPride is the largest annual gathering of LGBTIQ communities and promotes visibility and awareness of queer issues on a global scale. A different city hosts WorldPride every two years. The 11-day Copenhagen 2021 …
Church installs altarpiece: Adam & Steve and Madam & Eve
On Monday, St Paul’s Church in Malmö Sweden unveiled its new altarpiece. The painting is by lesbian Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin and entitled Paradise. It portrays the Garden of Eden. However, rather than Adam and Eve, it shows a male and a female couple with a transgender person playing the role of the snake. We like …
Gay Christian Iranian teen’s asylum bid rejected
The Swedish Migration Board yesterday ordered a gay Christian Iranian teenager to leave Sweden. Despite the well documented persecution of both Christians and gays in Iran, the board rejected 19-year-old Mehdi Shokr Khoda’s application for asylum. Mehdi Shokr Khoda and Christianity Mehdi fled Iran in 2017. He converted to Christianity in Stockholm and subsequently underwent …
PHOTOS: ABBA BACK TOGETHER FOR IMPROMPTU PERFORMANCE
ABBA reunited for a one-off performance in Stockholm at the weekend. It is the first time the quartet appeared on stage together in more than 30 years. At a private gala to mark 50 years since songwriting duo Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson first met, the pair were joined on stage by Agnetha Fältskog and …