Karen-Christine Friele ( Wilhelmsen; 27 May 1935 – 22 November 2021), known as Kim Friele, was a Norwegian

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...

and human rights activist, famous for being the first gay Norwegian to publicly acknowledge and advocate for her sexuality, in June 1965. She acted as the leader for the previously secret organization

Forbundet av 1948 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, bi ...

between 1966 and 1971, and as its secretary general until 1989.

Early life

Friele was born Karen-Christine Wilhelmsen in Fana in

Bergen, Norway Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, secon ...

. She attended the University of Cambridge and was employed from 1958 to 1971 at the information office for insurance. She was briefly married to a childhood friend, Ole Friele, Jr., from 1959 to 1961. She came out as a lesbian, around three years before the repeal (in 1972) of Section 213 of the Norwegian Penal Code; she was one of two openly gay persons in Norway, that were then known to the public.

Career

In Norway, Friele is credited with having influenced the decriminalisation of homosexual acts in 1972 and for declassifying homosexuality as a psychiatric condition in 1978. She and

Wenche Lowzow Wenche Bryn Lowzow (27 May 1926 – 24 September 2016) was a Norwegian politician in the Conservative Party of Norway. She was a member of the Norwegian parliament The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislatu ...

, a noted politician in the Conservative Party, were among the first to formalize their partnership when same-sex unions were allowed in 1993. She wrote several books on gay and human rights, starting in 1972. In 2000, she was appointed a Knight 1st Class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

. A bust of her was unveiled in front of the Oslo City Hall in 2005, and is now placed at the main branch of the

Oslo Public Library Oslo Public Library (officially called in Norwegian ''Deichman bibliotek'', Deichman Library) is the municipal public library serving Oslo, Norway and is the country's first and largest library. It employs over 300 people and has over 20 branches ...

. In 2005, she was proclaimed the fourth most important Norwegian of the Century in a public vote through NRK. Friele was appointed a ''

statsstipendiat Government scholar (Norwegian, ''statsstipendiat'') is a position awarded by the Parliament of Norway upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Research and funded directly over the State budget of Nor ...

'' ("government scholar") in 1989, and lived in the ski town of Geilo, Norway.

Death

She died in her home on 22 November 2021, aged 86. In a comment to the Norwegian public broadcasting company NRK, The Government Minister for culture and equality Anette Trettebergstuen praised Friele as one of the most important figures in the struggle for equality in Norway. Friele was honored with a state funeral on 6 December 2021. The prime minister spoke. Queen Sonja and crown princess Mette-Marit attended the funeral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friele, Karen-Christine 1935 births 2021 deaths People from Bergen Alumni of the University of Cambridge Norwegian human rights activists Norwegian LGBT rights activists Norwegian lesbian writers 20th-century Norwegian LGBT people 21st-century Norwegian LGBT people 20th-century Norwegian women writers 21st-century Norwegian women writers Norwegian women activists Order of Saint Olav