Karen-Christine Friele
Encyclopedia
Karen Christine Friele (born 27 May 1935) is a Norwegian
gay rights activist, famous for being the first 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 between 1966 and 1971, and as its secretary general until 1989.
Friele was born Karen-Christine Wilhelmsen in Fana
in Bergen, Norway. 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.
In Norway, Friele is credited for having influenced the abolishment of criminalization of homosexual acts in 1972 and for declassifying homosexuality as a psychiatric condition in 1978. She and Wenche Lowzow
, a noted politician in the Conservative Party were among the first to formalize their partnership when same-sex unions were allowed in 1993.
She has written several books on gay rights, her authorship starting in 1972.
In 2000 Friele was appointed a Knight 1st Class of the Order of St. Olav. 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
.
Friele is now appointed a government scholarship awardee (Norwegian: statsstipendiat) and lives in Haugastøl, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
gay rights activist, famous for being the first 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 between 1966 and 1971, and as its secretary general until 1989.
Friele was born Karen-Christine Wilhelmsen in Fana
Fana
Fana is a borough of the city of Bergen, Norway.-History:Prior to 1972, Fana was an independent municipality which territory also included today's boroughs of Ytrebygda, Fyllingsdalen, and the southernmost part of Årstad.-Geography:...
in Bergen, Norway. She attended the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
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.
In Norway, Friele is credited for having influenced the abolishment of criminalization of homosexual acts in 1972 and for declassifying homosexuality as a psychiatric condition in 1978. She and Wenche Lowzow
Wenche Lowzow
Wenche Bryn Lowzow is a Norwegian politician in the Conservative Party of Norway. She was a member of the Norwegian parliament as a representative from Oslo between 1977–1985...
, a noted politician in the Conservative Party were among the first to formalize their partnership when same-sex unions were allowed in 1993.
She has written several books on gay rights, her authorship starting in 1972.
In 2000 Friele was appointed a Knight 1st Class of the Order of St. Olav. A bust of her was unveiled in front of the Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
City Hall in 2005, and is now placed at the main branch of the Oslo Public Library
Oslo Public Library
Oslo Public Library, formally known as the Deichman Library , is the municipal public library serving Oslo, Norway.It is the country's first and largest library. In addition to the main office, it has sixteen branches throughout the city. It also contains several that serve the whole country,...
.
Friele is now appointed a government scholarship awardee (Norwegian: statsstipendiat) and lives in Haugastøl, Norway