Tromsø as a "Safe Space": LGBTQ+ Inclusivity through Arts in the Arctic Gateway

Art performance during the 2021 Open Out festival in Tromsø, Norway. Photo: Daniela Toma

The Arctic Institute Queering the Arctic Series 2023

• The Arctic Institute’s Queering the Arctic Series 2023: Introduction
• Mapping the Landscape of LGBTQ+ Hope Spots: An Arctic Equality Map
• Tromsø as a “Safe Space”: LGBTQ+ Inclusivity through Arts in the Arctic Gateway
• Geographical Problems: Interview with Artist Justin Levesque
• Northern Identities: Rereading Woman of Labrador
• The Arctic Institute’s Queering the Arctic Series 2023: Conclusion

Until recently, the Arctic, a remote and seemingly inhospitable region in the Western mind, has been imagined as a male-dominated realm,¹⁾Seag M (2019) Women in Polar Research: A Brief History, 19 March, https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/women-polar-research-brief-history/. Accessed on 27 October 27 2023 largely due to historical narratives and depictions of polar explorations by notable male figures such as Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen, and Fridtjof Nansen. While the region has often been associated with notions of isolation and homogeneity, the paradigmatic shift in the Western world in the ways gender and sexuality are conceptualizedhas also shaped the very way identity and gender are currently understood in the Arctic.²⁾Rossi L-M (2022) Queer Studies. Lindroth M and others (eds.) Critical Studies of the Arctic: Unraveling the North. London: Palgrave Mcmillan: 233-236 Although the understanding that gender and sexuality are a spectrum and that diversity has to be legally and culturally recognized by society, in many Arctic societies, including Indigenous ones, the binary conception of gender, which relies on hierarchical distinctions between masculinity and femininity, persists as not only a ‘normalized’ perspective but also as a ‘norm’ in everyday life.

In Northern Norway, like elsewhere in Europe, in the endeavor to subvert established gender norms and question traditional power structures, art has been of paramount importance for Arctic communities, functioning as a powerful tool for activism and advocacy. Artists can challenge the male-dominated history and representation of the Arctic, exploring themes of gender fluidity, non-binary identities, and the intersectionality of identities, while promoting social change. This piece provides an everyday empirical examination of how “safe spaces” operate in practice, by looking at the queer art scene of Tromsø, Northern Norway and engaging with an interview with Marion Bouvier, the co-founder and former director of the Open Out queer art festival that takes place in Tromsø, on an annual basis. The article seeks to address the importance of queering the Arctic by fostering inclusivity, addressing LGBTQ+ rights, and creating “safe spaces” through art in Tromsø, manifested through various artistic mediums, disrupting traditional perceptions and amplifying underrepresented perspectives.

Tromsø as a “Safe Space” for LGBTQ+ artists

The notion of “safe space” first emerged in the women’s movement in the late 20^th century in recognition that ‘safety’ cannot be guaranteed for everyone, and has a lively history and situatedness in multiple contexts, while it has been recently re-popularized in the context of the LGBTQ+ community.³⁾Kenney M R (2002) Mapping Gay L.A.: The Intersection of Place and Politics. Pennsylvania: Temple University Press: pp. 24. By fostering “safe spaces”, society can create an environment where LGBTQ+ individuals, but also oppressed minorities in general, can thrive, leading to a more inclusive and equitable world for all.

When treating “safe space” as a living concept, rather than an analytical tool, it is important to identify its manifestations in the everyday life of social environments. Tromsø is a city with a vibrant and diverse community that continues to serve as a hub for Arctic exploration and research, while also providing a unique opportunity to explore inclusivity and LGBTQ+ rights in the north. Disregarding its small population of approximately 70,000 people, the city of Tromsø, Norway’s largest settlement north of the Arctic Circle, is host to several initiatives oriented towards the creation of a safe environment for LGBTQ+ members. Tromsø is host of Arctic Pride, the world’s northernmost pride, along with the one recently organized in Kirkenes, which attracts guests and artists from all over the world. Furthermore, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø, provides an organization for queer students (Skeive studenter), while the Studentsamfunnet Driv (the student union) is a place that hosts queer events, such as drag shows, on a regular basis. Private initiatives such as the artist-led space Kurant and the Haus of Misfists (drag show community) further mark significant efforts to encapsulate the ‘many-Arctics’ expressed in the everyday life of Tromsø’s people. At the same time, Tromsø still does not have any gay bars or any designated queer “safe spaces” that are open year-round. In Norwegian culture, the strong hold that the “Jante’s law” still has on the social body means that standing out can be seen negatively, which in some ways can be seen as a hindrance for social minorities to be given specific spaces to be visible, or simply to meet and share experiences. There is also a general assumption that since the Norwegian law is clear in its anti-discriminatory stance, and that other laws such as same-sex marriage are already established and accepted, this can be a hindrance to identifying the reality of remaining discriminatory behaviors and prejudices towards the LGBTQ+ community.

Creating “Safe Spaces” in Tromsø – Insights from “Open Out”

Aiming to manifest how safe spaces are conceptualized, created and function in the Arctic, a short interview was carried out with Marion Bouvier, the founder and former director of the Open Out queer art festival. The interview provided insight into the motives behind the Open Out initiative, its current operation and contribution to the LGBTQ+ scene of Arctic Norway, the pluralistic representation of voices embraced through the festival’s frame, as well as the overall impact of “safe spaces” in the everyday life of queer individuals in Tromsø.

What led you to create the Open Out festival?

I co-created Open Out with Camilla Renate Nicolaisen in 2017, based on the common realization that despite how progressive the art scene is in northern Norway, there was a clear lack of representation of queer artists and queer art, as well as other so-called “minorities”, such as Sámi artists, artists with immigrant backgrounds, etc. We felt there was really a lack of diversity, representation and inclusivity. We wanted to create a platform for experimentation, for artists to feel safe and encouraged to share their art research and artworks, while also opening up the art scene to an audience as diverse as possible. That is an important mandate for the festival – the whole festival is entirely free to attend: art should be a collective celebration that doesn’t require for anyone to be “knowledgeable enough” to attend art exhibitions; art can be a very elitist scene, and having worked at a gallery for several years, I know that for some people it is very intimidating to enter an art space. There can be a sense that you need to have a certain social status, or a certain type of knowledge, to access these spaces. And that is something we really wanted to counteract, because it is crucial that art is for everyone, as art only comes alive under the eyes and sense of viewers, and if only a certain stratum of society interacts with art, then we also shape art into an elitist, white and male-dominated endeavor. All of this ties up with wanting to create this exchange between artists who challenge mainstream and dominant narratives, and giving space for this exchange between artists and audience to exist.

What is the goal of Open Out?

The goal is to create a respectful, open and safe space where underrepresented voices can express themselves fully, some of them maybe for the first time, where artists can experiment and exchange with other artists and with the audience, and where the public is taken seriously and welcome to experience art. We also seek to create a sense of community for everyone who identifies with the term “queer” or who wants to explore the world outside of the oppressive framework of hetero-patriarchy.

Of course it is great to see that over the course of the past 6 years, we have reached more and more people, and that some events are packed with people – at our opening evening we usually have around 150 people joining us; but also, for me as a festival organizer, it is enough if one person comes to me at the end of the week, and tells me that that they expressed their truth for the first time ever, that they felt represented, or that they found community within the festival. That happens every year, actually, and it is a great joy and pride to be able to give this gift to someone else.

I can use a personal example of why representativity and inclusion are essential. When I was a teenager and not out yet, I was like everyone else very influenced by the heteronormative world around me (also I am French, and gender norms in France were and still are very strong), and although I started to have feelings for girls, I couldn’t understand how these feelings could exist in the world and in my life. There were almost no role models back then, just 15 years ago! The only celebrities or media representations of LGBTQ+ people were very caricatural, often mocked, and the few stories that included queer characters often ended very tragically: someone died or they were rejected by their families or society. I can now say in hindsight that it was very oppressive and made it extremely difficult for me to accept being a lesbian and to find my voice as a citizen of this world. Nobody wants to have to fight all the time to live a good life; nobody can fully thrive when their gender expression, sexuality, ethnic background, abilities or other characteristics are problematized by society. So I find it essential to use some of my time and energy on creating these spaces where you come as you are, you are accepted as you are, and you can express yourself and share a slice of life with people who understand where you come from.

How are perspectives of queer, feminists, Indigenous peoples, immigrants, refugees and other groups represented through Open Out?

We have an open call every year to select artists that will be presented at the festival, and we focus on selecting people who identify with one or several of these perspectives. We don’t try to define what “queer” means, as there can be many definitions; it’s enough if someone feels they are queer, or wants to explore that part of themselves. We also fully believe in the intersectionality of the fight for human rights, and that is why it was natural from the beginning to not only focus on LGBTQ+ artists, but also on artists who are Indigenous, immigrant, refugees, who work with feminist and/or against heteropatriarchal, colonialist narratives. Apart from the artists and the art we present, we also constantly try to include as many diverse communities in our audience, as their interpretations and their voices are also a big part of creating the festival’s community. That is not always easy, because of the historical discrimination minorities have experienced, and there can therefore be a certain distrust towards art institutions and festival organizers. Minorities have been instrumentalized, also in recent years, as many big organizations have been riding the wave of “diversity” and try to tick the boxes of representation. So, we have to do our best to take into account the pain that a lot of people carry, and to continually work to unearth our own privileges and prejudices so that we have a space that is truly safe-r and inclusive. We have to be open to practice self-critique, to be attentive and to listen to what is being said in the rooms we open to people, and share power as much as possible so that there is an act of co-creation: no community is “created” by one person or organization, it is always a collective effort.

Do you see Tromsø shifting towards a “safe-r space” over the years?

I think Tromsø is a place that has grown and developed so quickly in the past decades that there has been a lot of good and bad. I would say that the unchecked urbanization of the island and the damage done to the environment is among the very bad things that continues to happen; socially, I think the city is progressive and open, and the constant arrival of new students, researchers and people choosing to come to northern Norway makes it a dynamic and diverse place, which is a good premise to ensure we collectively create safer spaces. The municipality has been by and large very supportive of the LGBTQ+ community – the former mayor is a lesbian woman–, which is very important for the everyday lives of queer citizens. I feel that Tromsø is a good place to live openly for me personally.

At the same time things are far from perfect! There are still way too many cases of everyday discrimination and verbal abuse towards Sámi people, there are still young and older queer people who cannot come out to their families or friends without experiencing a backlash, and there is definitely still racism and sexism in Tromsø.

So there is constant work to be done, and all institutions, organizations and communities should practice no tolerance to any discriminatory attitude. I think we also need to focus on spaces where dialogues and conversations can happen between everyone, which is what Open Out is about: it’s okay not to be familiar with other perspectives, and it’s great to ask questions and be curious. If we close ourselves to one another just because we have different life experiences or points-of-view, then things will not get better.

In short, I definitely have hope for Tromsø and northern Norway, thanks to all the work that has been done by different communities, not the least the amazing work of Sámi artists and the Sámi queer youth, who are an inspiration to me. We should all feel concerned by safe-r spaces: as Audre Lorde said, “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”

Reconceptualizing Tromsø as a “Safe Arctic Space”

While it is essential to recognize the challenges that LGBTQ+ Arctic communities face, it is equally important to acknowledge the existing progress made in LGBTQ+ rights and their acceptance in the Arctic. Institutionalizing art and creating “safe spaces” in the discourse surrounding the Arctic can thus challenge norms, provide visibility to marginalized communities, foster empathy, drive activism, and contribute to cultural preservation. Art has the remarkable ability to transcend language barriers, making it an effective medium for conveying the diverse experiences and struggles of LGBTQ+ individuals in the Arctic, including the Indigenous ones. With Tromsø remaining the leading Norwegian Arctic city, queering Tromsø and creating “safe spaces” thus becomes crucial for fostering LGBTQ+ inclusivity, promoting cultural understanding, and highlighting the city’s role as a progressive and welcoming space. In the end, the journey toward a more inclusive Arctic begins with acknowledging both the challenges faced and the progress made, ultimately striving for a future where acceptance and equality reign.

The 6th edition of the Open Out festival took place from the 23rd to the 30th of September, 2023. Find out more here. Marion Bouvier is one of the co-founders of Open Out Festival.