Barents Pride is full of enthusiasm, emotions, adrenaline

You have organised the Barents Pride, this event, for eight years. In this period, in these years, there have been tremendous changes in our region. How has Barents Pride changed over these years?

And I have to stand corrected because I have been corrected on the number of years. It has been hosted for nine, but in 2020, because of COVID, no one came.

And that was also the first year with the border demonstration that we also had yesterday at Storskog in Norway.

But I mean, how it's changed. I mean, it's like I, of course, mentioned the paperwork. There's more of it now. But in my five years as the project manager on the Norwegian side and the full nine years of the festival, it's... I mean, the biggest change is the risk and the biggest change is the danger that they put themselves in by just coming.

And like yesterday at the [border checkpoint] Storskog, which is an open and announced event that we're going to the demonstration at Storskog, they forget themselves. They have enthusiasm, they get adrenaline. And sometimes it can feel like herding sheep, trying to remind them to stay calm. Don't do something you will regret. Because we've had activists run up on stage after the parade because they were so frustrated or had so many emotions. 

And it's not that we want to limit them, but we want to kind of be in the corner and say, "Okay, but you're actually going back to Russia, so you have to be careful."

We know it's emotional. We know that. But after everything that also has happened since '22, sanctions and restrictions, it's dangerous. So maybe not act on all the emotions, even though we understand that you will.

And we here in Norway have a privilege that we can. We have our right to talk. But yeah, we don't limit. We try to consult them.

Approximately how many people are we talking about Russians and Norwegians and from other countries? Has the event grown bigger?

It has grown bigger, but there have also been some ups and downs because it can vary from year to year. But in total, with the people that now live outside of Russia and the ones coming from inside Russia and the Norwegian organisers and partners who contribute to help make it work, this year I think we're up to almost 80 people.

So I think it's growing in number of people and it's also becoming insanely expensive. So yeah, we're trying to keep it in both ends.

The situation for LGBTQ+ people is difficult not only in Russia, but also in other countries, including in Europe. How is the Pride community in Norway and the Nordic region? Can we see a setback for queer people also in our countries?

I mean, through Arctic Pride, which is the kind of main organiser that I work for and manage the project that is Barents Pride, we are a part of a community both with Scandinavian, Nordic and European Pride organizers.

So we meet when we can and when we have the funds, because someone gets some cuts in funding and have to not attend a conference. But we talk regularly and we have discussions regarding the politics and how fragile everything is.

I was in a meeting now before the election in Norway, which we were discussing, "Okay, but what if they will slash the funding? The LGBTQ+ funds will be nothing, most likely. How do we handle it? How do we…?" I mean, we have to rally, we have to say it out loud, we have to try and make them understand that this is important work. But it is very fragile.

So on election night, even though I, we live in Norway and it is safe, and even though they would cut in the funds and everything, it would change the way we had to work and it would be harder to work. But when the first polls came in at nine that evening, I cried.

Because I was like, "Okay, then the fight still continues, but at least we don't have to fight all over again to get the funds." So it's fragile.

How can we promote and strengthen the rights and freedoms of the queer people? What needs to be done?

It's a big question. Support each other, see each other, and stand with one another, regardless of minorities, backgrounds, nationality, because we're very much stronger together.

So we can't… I mean, even just in the north of Norway, we have some local organisers who kind of stray because they don't want to be a part of… They want to manage themselves and they want to not feel like they have to answer to anyone.

And I mean, it sounds like I'm a controlling hag, I'm really not, but we want to be able to help them and accommodate them so that they can not be burnt out.

But someone can experience that as managing and micromanaging. But I have been telling the local organizers, both in Troms and Finnmark now, and I even sent papers now, they're going to found Pride in Vardø, a local group.

But I try to tell them that it doesn't have to be a week, it doesn't have to be a year, it can be one day, it can be one event. Please don't burn out and please do it for more than one year. But it's hard. People are people and people have feelings.

So I have both tried to accommodate and been interpreted as a controlling bitch. And I have not tried to accommodate and been accused of ignoring. And it's difficult, but it's the easiest when we can at least have a proper discussion and we can talk to each other. The communication is key.

Considering the situation in Russia. Is there a future for Barents Pride?

I hope so, as we all do in the organising team with the free and queer world and the partners.

But it's, we take it from year to year, we don't take anything for granted. I mean, anything can happen, as we know, in the politics of this world. I mean, is Putin going to fall down some stairs and it's going to be a new leader? Is Trump going to fall into an airplane engine? I mean, who knows?

It's difficult, but we try and we start earlier each year to begin the process and to have the framework ready as soon as possible so that we know that we can start inviting and all those paperwork things. But it's a year-to-year thing.