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Is Sweden the most gay-friendly country?

Sweden was ranked this year as the world's gay-friendliest country, but does Stockholm's gay community agree? And what exactly is "gay slime wrestling"? We headed to Pride Park to find out more.

Published: 2 August 2013 10:55 CEST
Is Sweden the most gay-friendly country?

In May, the Spartacus International Gay Guide ranked Sweden on top when it came to gay friendliness.

The ranking considered factors such as gay marriage and adoption, whether there were entry restrictions for HIV-positive people, the extent of religious influence on governments, whether or not Pride parades are allowed, and whether the country markets itself at gay and lesbian tourists.

Despite the praise heaped on Sweden, some Stockholm Pride revellers at “Pride Park” told us the situation is far from perfect:

Find out why:

Oliver Gee

Follow Oliver on Twitter here

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STOCKHOLM

Stockholm Pride is a little different this year: here’s what you need to know 

This week marks the beginning of Pride festivities in the Swedish capital. The tickets sold out immediately, for the partly in-person, partly digital events. 

Published: 2 August 2021 10:33 CEST
Pride parade 2019
There won't be a Pride parade like the one in 2019 on the streets of Stockholm this year. Photo: Stina Stjernkvist/TT

You might have noticed rainbow flags popping up on major buildings in Stockholm, and on buses and trams. Sweden has more Pride festivals per capita than any other country and is the largest Pride celebration in the Nordic region, but the Stockholm event is by far the biggest.  

The Pride Parade, which usually attracts around 50,000 participants in a normal year, will be broadcast digitally from Södra Teatern on August 7th on Stockholm Pride’s website and social media. The two-hour broadcast will be led by tenor and debater Rickard Söderberg.

The two major venues of the festival are Pride House, located this year at the Clarion Hotel Stockholm at Skanstull in Södermalm, and Pride Stage, which is at Södra Teatern near Slussen.

“We are super happy with the layout and think it feels good for us as an organisation to slowly return to normal. There are so many who have longed for it,” chairperson of Stockholm Pride, Vix Herjeryd, told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.

Tickets are required for all indoor events at Södra Teatern to limit the number of people indoors according to pandemic restrictions. But the entire stage programme will also be streamed on a big screen open air on Mosebacketerassen, which doesn’t require a ticket.  

You can read more about this year’s Pride programme on the Stockholm Pride website (in Swedish). 

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