Mette-Marit at the Invisible Conference (on the rights of homosexuals today) 2005

[Larzen]

Mette-Mairt will give the opening speech at the Invisible conference in Bodø on Monday that focuses on the problem gay people have in the Norwegian society. Especially in school, the military, in sports and in the health care system. She will also take part in discussions and talks during the meetings.

Responsible for the conference is the hospital in Bodø, the city of Bodø and LLH (Association that works for gay rights) The leader of LLH says he is very happy that she will be there, that it is important that the high profiled people in the Norwegian society help put the spotlight on the many difficulties many gay people have, and that it is good that she will not just come and go, but also take part in the discussions, and that it shows that she cares. He further says that even if Norway would like to think that we are an open and equal society gays are overrepresented on the suicide statistics, they are often discriminated against at work and harassed out of sports.


http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/ko...cle1100948.ece
http://www.nss.nl.no/


Here are two pictures of Haakon with the Queen of Jordan from a dinner a the young global leader conference he attended in July, they are from Yahoo, originally posted by Humera.



EDIT: Haakon and Mette-Marit will visit Trondheim during the TroNett Conference. On August the 25th, their wedding day, they will give a prize from their humanitarian fund. Fighting poverty and the fight against HIV/AIDS is one of the themes at the conference. It is the first time the prize money is handed out outside of Oslo. There will be several lectures from the university in Trondheim as well as the author Henning Mankell, minister Børge Brende, and people from Doctors without Borders and UNECE in Geneva

Source: NTNU

[kwanfan]

It's wonderful that Mette-Marit is getting involved in such an important issue as gay rights and acceptance. She is my favorite princess and things like that just make me admire her even more!

[samitude]

I am dissappointed in her.

[kwanfan]

Originally Posted by samitude

I am dissappointed in her.

Why are you dissapointed in her?

[Isabel]

Originally Posted by samitude

I am dissappointed in her.

Why? Because she is supporting the awareness of issues faced by gay people in Norway? It is my understanding that the Norwegian Royal House is the only royal house to have publicly made a statement supporting gay rights.

I am surprised that a Princess would take part in what appears to be such a politicial issue, however. I don't know that it will be a very smart move. I suppose that only time will tell.

[hippiesheep]

Originally Posted by samitude

I am dissappointed in her.

Why are you disappointed?

I'd really like to know that

[H.M. Margrethe]

I can´t se the big problem for her and the rest of the royal house in Norway supporting gay peapol.
They are humans like the rest of us in the world.

[Larzen]

Mette-Marit arrived at the airport in Bodø last night for the conference today, she was met by the Mayor and stayed at a hotel for the night. It is her first visit to Bodø since her marriage. http://www.an.no/nyheter/article1714928.ece

[Smilla]

Well, in that picture she definitely looks okay. Hopefully she'll have no more trouble with her pregnancy!

[Larzen]

Mette-Mairt will give the opening speech at the Invisible conference in Bodø on Monday that focuses on the problem gay people have in the Norwegian society. Especially in school, the military, in sports and in the health care system. She will also take part in discussions and talks during the meetings

http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/n...d/5006181.html
http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=288435
http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/innenriks/5007352.html

[LaMinka]

Mette-Marit is looking very pregnat now with the black coat. And by the way, she looking great in Bodö..

[Larzen]

In her speech Mette-Marit said amongst otherthings that [....]"This is a conference with great importance for many, we make an agenda, an agenda for the Norway we want in the next century. A Norway where diversity, tolerence and respect are important for the nation and the lives we live together[......] Everyone want someone to love you, that is something we have in common, and what we must build on. We should appreaciate the differences, not use them treat people and their rights differently" [.....]
(I find it very difficult to translate speeches, it sounds less pompus in Norwegian)

The speech in Norwegian from http://www.nordlandssykehuset.no/

Kjære alle sammen,

Den dagsorden dere setter her disse dagene er av betydning for mange mennesker i vårt land. Det er viktig i seg selv. Samtidig setter dere en større dagsorden, en dagsorden for det Norge vi vil ha i et nytt århundre, et Norge der mangfold, toleranse og respekt er kjennetegn både ved nasjonen og de livene vi lever sammen.

Trenger vi virkelig en nasjonal konferanse om homofili i 2005 – en konferanse som setter fokus på homofiles levekår og homofiles situasjon på arbeidsmarkedet, i idretten, skolen og i helsevesenet? Er det slik at den enkeltes følelsesmessig orientering fortsatt legger grunnlag for diskriminering, stigmatisering, utrygghet og fortvilelse?

For mange er svaret fortsatt ja og da plikter vi å ta dette på alvor. Homofili er ikke lenger tabu i mediene. Men medienes fremstilling, ofte preget av store overskrifter, sensasjoner og konflikter, tar ikke nødvendigvis tak i den dypere utfordringen som handler om respekt for hvert menneskes rett til eget følelsesliv.

Vi vet nå mye om levekårene til homofile i Norge, men fortsatt ikke nok, vi trenger ny kunnskap og forskning, Derfor er denne konferansen så viktig, fordi den legger et historisk perspektiv og fordi den legger så stor vekt på innsikt og kunnskap. Jeg håper disse dagene vil bidra til at kunnskapen når ut til mange, og ikke minst til de som har ansvar i politikk og forvaltning og innen kirke, helsevesen og skole.

Et av innleggene på denne konferansen heter ”Lengsel etter normalitet”. Kanskje gir denne tittelen en god sammenfatning av hva dette handler om. Alle mennesker lengter etter å ha noen å være glad i, Hver og en av oss lengter etter at noen er glad i nettopp meg. Dette har vi alle felles, og det er dette fellesskapet vi må bygge på,

Som mennesker er vi alle forskjellige. Det er med på å skape mangfold, og vi må alle være med på å skape forståelse og vise respekt for at vi er forskjellige. Vi bør feire de viktigste forskjellene som skaper mangfold, ikke bruke dem til å forskjellsbehandle mennesker og deres rettigheter.

I dag tenker vi med forundring på at seksuell omgang mellom to av samme kjønn var forbud helt fram til 1972. Kanskje vil vi om noen år se med like stor forundring på at homofile i dag opplever diskriminering.

Denne konferansen peker på den faren som ligger i usynliggjøring. Knapt noe er verre for et menneske enn å ikke bli sett. En taus og likegyldig aksept kan være knugende, og fortsatt undertrykking er taushetens farlige følgesvenn. Igjen må vi satse på kunnskapen, kunnskap som kan fjerne de unødvendige stengslene mellom oss, og gjøre forskjellene til en ressurs. Vi må ha en åpen diskusjon både i arbeidslivet, kirken, skolen, helsevesenet og idretten.

Jeg ønsker dere lykke til med et viktig arbeid for en viktig sak, og erklærer herved konferansen for åpnet.

Picture from the hospital in Nordland that was responsible for the conference
http://www.nordlandssykehuset.no/ and www.an.no

[Anita]

Thank you for the pics and the translation !:) Mette-Marit looks beautiful .

[Hannelore]

Good cause!

I think she looks a lot prettier and younger with shorter hair.

[Princess BellyFlop]

You might be right. When she has longer hair it gives her a little extra, very beautiful, very feminine and very scandinavian (at least to my North American eye).

[kwanfan]

She looks great! I think it's great that Mette-Marit is embracing such an important cause!

[Noelle9982]

I think she looks great as does CP Mary...pregnancy suits them both!

I have to say, though, I think MM is the frumpiest and worst dressed of all the CPs and I think she's so pretty too! It's not good or bad but clearly her priorities are different from some of the other princesses.

[EmmieLou]

Originally Posted by Noelle9982

I think she looks great as does CP Mary...pregnancy suits them both!

I have to say, though, I think MM is the frumpiest and worst dressed of all the CPs and I think she's so pretty too! It's not good or bad but clearly her priorities are different from some of the other princesses.

I don't even think it is priorities, I think some people just have an eye for style.


Mette-Marit has never really dressed brilliantly, there has been the odd moment of style but not consistent like Mary.

But I like Mette-Marit for this, she tries her best.