Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

A Swedish gay rights organization is calling out the Finns on anti-gay animus in the armed forces, reporting that openly gay Swedish personnel may be uncomfortable serving with their allies in Finland.

From PinkNews.co.uk:

HOF, which promotes the rights of gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals in the Swedish military, says that the attitude of the Finns makes it difficult for LGBT soldiers to take part in joint operations.

Sweden still practices conscription and there has been debate in the country over the rights of gay people in the military. The country's Armed Forces are deployed in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Kosovo.HoF was launched in December 2001 to support serving members of the Swedish Armed Forces who are gay, bisexual or transgender - officers, civilians and conscripts.

Only conscripts who volunteer are sent on missions outside Sweden, and there is evidence that LGBT Swedes are reluctant to do so because they might face hostility. The President of HOF told Swedish radio he wants the Swedish Defence Minister Mikael Odenberg to raise the issue of "discriminatory and insulting behaviour" with the Finns, accusing them of being the most difficult soliders to work with.

Sweden has a long history of supporting its LGBT service members. Swedish military representatives visited with SLDN in 2005, and expressed concerns about the anti-gay policies of the U.S. forces. Captain Krister Fahlstedt of HoF told reporter Stefen Styrsky that, “We have a strong tradition in Sweden to stand up for human rights and to fight for equality. That’s how we try to address the issue within the armed forces and it has been quite successful. The purpose of our armed forces is to defend democracy and human rights, and therefore it is essential to stand up for basic human rights within the organization as well."

As Swedish forces fight alongside American troops in Afghanistan, let's hope that some of their open-minded philosophy influences our own thoughts about gays in the military.

- Steve Ralls