Sports Facilities Say No to Sexual Minority Campaign
Signs promoting a campaign to support the rights of sexual minorities will not be posted at sports facilities in Espoo or Helsinki. Sports officials said they do not wish to participate in the campaign, called “Uskalla-kampanja”, which means the “Dare Campaign" in English.
However the city of Vantaa agreed to allow the posters. Youth organisations in the capital region have also given the group the green light to promote their campaign.
The campaign calls for athletes, fans and sports officials to fight homophobia.
”It is a shame that sports officials in Finland’s largest cities have taken a negative stance on this campaign. The topic of this campaign affects many people in public sports facilities,” says Maija Paloheimo, a communications coordinator for the campaign.
Kirsti Laine, who works for the government’s sports department and is the deputy chair of the sexual minorities and human rights organisation Seta, says that the topic of homosexuality is especially taboo in male sports.
The campaign includes a website in Finnish, posters and postcards that are being distributed throughout the capital region in August and September. Campaign partners include the Finnish Sports Federation and Seta. The campaign was funded by the European Commission.
Latest in: News
Climate change increasing weather extremes in Finland
Stronger winds, lighter frosts and more storm damage to forests are among the impacts that the Finnish Meteorological Institute expects to see in this country as a result of global warming.
Niinistö: Cooperation in Iceland no change in defence policy
President Sauli Niinistö told YLE on Saturday that Finland's possible participation in patrolling Iceland's airspace would not mark a change in the nation's defence policy line.
Tougher rules on gun storage likely
In the wake of Saturday's fatal shootings, Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen indicated that upcoming changes to gun laws may include stricter rules about keeping firearms under lock and key.
Hyvinkää shooting victims all young adults
Victims in Saturday's shooting incident were rushed to hospital in Hyvinkää and to the Meilahti and Töölö hospitals in Helsinki. Both men and women, all the victims were young adults.
Two dead, 7 injured in Hyvinkää shootings
A police officer who arrived on the scene was critically injured. A suspect taken into custody has confessed to police.
Finland’s coolest summer festivals
Summer is the most frenzied time in the Finnish cultural year, with fans and artists alike rushing to enjoy that brief intersection of warmth and relaxed free time. Here are a dozen of the season’s most unusual cultural events. Nearly all take place outdoors or in tents – so here’s hoping for a warm, dry-ish festival season.
Baby spuds herald arrival of summer
In a crucial sign of summer for Finns, the first field-grown potatoes of the year have been harvested in Rymättylä on Finland's south-west coast.
Cutting-edge Finnish fashion hits the catwalk
The newest names in Finnish fashion are taking centre stage on Friday evening at a gala event at Helsinki's old Suvilahti power plant.
Urpilainen returned as SDP chair
The Social Democrats gathered at a party convention in Helsinki to elect party leaders. Incumbent Jutta Urpilainen ran unopposed for the chairmanship.
EU unemployed seek Finnish jobs
Labour officials say there's been an almost daily flow of European jobseekers registering for employment opportunities in Finland -- some of them from Spain.
Discuss this topic
0 comments
Thank you. Your message has been sent to Yle News. We publish comments between 9 AM and 5 PM.
Yle News reads all comments before publishing, and we reserve the right to edit long comments. Inappropriate comments will not be published.
Thank you. Your report has been sent to Yle News. We review the reports between 9 AM and 5 PM.
Yle News will review the comment you reported and will delete it if necessary.