Founded | 1949/1992 |
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Headquarters | Oslo |
President | Inge Alexander Gjestvang |
Website | foreningenfri |
The Norwegian Organisation for Sexual and Gender Diversity (Norwegian: FRI – foreningen for kjønns- og seksualitetsmangfold) is the oldest, largest and preeminent Norwegian member organization representing the interests of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons in Norway.
It originated as the Norwegian branch of the Danish Circle of 1948 (now LGBT Danmark) in 1949 and later became an independent organization. It was Norway's first gay rights organization, and campaigned against the criminalization of sexual relations between men (sexual relations between women were never criminalized because women were then not considered to have an independent sexuality). It eventually expanded its focus to include all LGBTIQ+ rights. Membership is open to anyone who supports the organization's goals.
It was known as the National Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People (Norwegian: Landsforeningen for lesbiske, homofile, bifile og transpersoner; LLH) until 2016. Inge Alexander Gjestvang became president of the organization in 2020.[1] The organization cooperates with the Government of Norway, and receives substantial public funding for its activities. Internationally it cooperates with its British counterpart Stonewall and is a partner of the Global Equality Fund of the United States Department of State. It has around 5,000 members and its central secretariat has around 20 employees.