The publication shows that developments in the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland have, to varying degrees, followed those of the other Nordic countries in the area of LGBTI rights.
Fredrika Almqvist, project coordinator and author of the publication:
”Several legal reforms relating to LGBTI rights have been implemented over the past decade in all three countries. However, it is also evident that certain fundamental structures and institutional frameworks are lacking. ”
Åland has had a national LGBTI action plan in place since 2019. In 2024, Greenland introduced new anti-discrimination legislation covering sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and gender characteristics. In the Faroe Islands, several reforms have been implemented as same-sex marriage in 2017 and equal rights for same-sex parents in 2021.
Transgender people are particularly vulnerable
The publications reveals that transgender people are in a particularly vulnerable situation, as they lack access to adequate care in all three countries. In many cases, there is also a lack of action plans and public organisations to manage and address the issue. In the absence of local infrastructure, civil society has stepped in.
”Local LGBTI organisations have played an important role both in campaigning for legislative changes and in supporting LGBTI people. Their work is crucial for rights reforms, both historically and looking ahead” says Fredrika Almqvist
A recurring challenge is the lack of statistics and systematic knowledge about the living conditions of LGBTI people in the three countries. This makes it more difficult to design targeted interventions and monitor developments over time. The publication has been produced ahead of a special initiative through the Nordic LGBTI Fund 2026, where projects involving stakeholders from the Faroe Islands, Greenland or Åland are prioritised. The hope is that this will lead to more initiatives that promote the rights and opportunities of LGBTI people in these countries.
The publication forms part of the focus area ‘An Equal Nordic Region’ at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research. The focus area includes NIKK, Nordic Information on Gender, a cooperation body under the Nordic Council of Ministers.
