Benjamin Hansen’s speech to the Winter Pride opening reception

Benjamin Hansen (he/him) is Chairperson of Copenhagen Pride.

Welcome to Winter Pride 2025 – the 11th edition.

For 10 years now, Winter Pride has been a week where we look inwards and work to strengthen our community from within.

Through conversation, education and dialogue.

Winter Pride is our community’s opportunity to make each other smarter and to grow together.

Winter Pride was created to make room for deeper conversations about the things that concern us.

Where Pride Week in August is outward-looking, our megaphone and noisy platform for artists, activists and community organisations, Winter Pride is the space for reflection.
Where we have the opportunity to listen to and learn from each other.

It’s a week where we can bridge the gap between beliefs and opinions and perhaps move just a little closer together in an understanding of each other.

Because how do we best include as many people as possible?

Do we exclude some by including others? And how do we solve such a challenge?

And how do we come together in a polarised world across differences?

Because it is a polarised world we live in – and there is still so much to fight for together:

• There are still seven countries where homosexuality can lead to the death penalty and 70 countries where it can lead to imprisonment.
• With the new Trump administration, we see terms like activism, queer, transgender being erased and queer history being rewritten.
• And it looks like European countries are already copying this rhetoric.
• Also in Denmark – and also in government offices.
• This is happening at the same time as we continue to see an increase in online hate towards queer people – especially the trans community.
• Nearly half of all LGBT+ people in Denmark experienced harassment in the past year, and a third report that violence against our community has increased in the past five years.
• 25 per cent of those who have come out as transgender at workplaces in Denmark regret it because of the consequences.
• A third of LGBI+ people in Denmark avoid holding hands with their partner in public for fear of the consequences.
• There is still no legal recognition of trans and non-binary identities.
• And LGBT+ people are more vulnerable to loneliness, abuse and suicide.

In fact, 30% of LGBT+ people aged 16-34 often experience loneliness or social isolation

A loneliness that only becomes more apparent during the dark winter months.

And since Winter Pride is a space for reflection, I’ve tried to reflect a lot – on just that – the darkness, loneliness, and abuse.

I’ve been thinking back on my first Winter Pride.

I found some of the feelings I had when I first heard about it – because it’s nothing new. These challenges have been around for a long time in our community.

And I remember clearly – today with shame – thinking ‘argh… this loneliness thing can’t be that bad’…

I’ve made a lot of friends in the community.

Or ‘urgh, so many people don’t take drugs – I don’t meet them – and damn all that chem-sex – it’s completely gone’.

But that’s how you can learn.

Five years later, I know it from people in my own social circle – friends, friends of friends, dates, ex-boyfriends, roomies.

And yes, it really is that bad.

I’ve seen lives turn around, change – not in years, but in months.

Lost jobs, lost study places, hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings gone to alcohol, cocaine and GHB.

Disappeared to fill the hole in your soul.

Savings for the dream apartment or a trip around the world gone.

And the one thing they all have in common is loneliness.

The mind racing – the idea that you are worth something.

The abandonment – not understanding loneliness.

I’m not good enough – I’m not worth the time.

I was the reason you left.

Left because I wasn’t good enough.

The feeling that loneliness has taken over.

That loneliness is a prison.

Desperate to be free.

And there was freedom – at least for a while.

A short-lived freedom that is, after all, better than complete darkness.

But a freedom that is hard to get out of.

But I didn’t think of it that way.

I met and still meet it sometimes with incomprehension.

In some cases with disgust and anger.

And I don’t think I’m particularly judgemental – I just didn’t understand.

As a result, I’m just shut out or lied to.

And who does that help?

It’s okay not to understand, but we need to meet people without prejudice – I’ve realised that.

That’s why I want to spend Winter Pride listening.

Open my heart and understand – or try to understand.

And what I don’t understand, I won’t dismiss with disgust or as stupid, but accept as something beyond my understanding.

I hope you will all do the same – every day, and especially here during Winter Pride.

This week, you can look forward to more than 30 events.

I won’t go through them all, but you can experience a lot of different things. Among other things:

• A screening of the Oscar-nominated film Emilia Pérez followed by a panel discussion on trans representation in film – an event Go’ Morgen DK is actually copying in the run-up to the Oscars – so check that out too.
• We’ll be joined by Riga Pride, who will talk about the LGBT+ community in Latvia and how pride has helped move the country towards equality.
• We have a VolunQueer Fair where those interested in supporting LGBT+ organisations can come and hear about different opportunities.
• We also have a visit from our friends at Oslo Pride, who will talk about their international solidarity work supporting LGBT+ projects across Europe.
• There will also be entertainment this year, including a concert with up-and-coming artists from the LGBT+ community presented by Queer Music Agency.
• And at Nikolaj Kunsthal, you can experience the exhibition ‘Le Gay Voyage’ free of charge, which challenges the view of liberation with a focus on social reflection.

You can read more about all this and much more on our website, in our app or in the gogo app.

I’m just finishing up, but I’d like to briefly tell you that the new board has launched some new initiatives that you can look forward to.

This means that:

• In June, there will be a number of events in connection with International Pride Month.
• We’ve created a new funding structure for parade floats to give LGBT+ organisations more visibility in the parade.
• We’ve created a new approach to ethical guidelines to utilise the UN Standard for Business on Anti-Discrimination against LGBT+ People
• We’re setting up two advisory boards – one for partners and one for the environment.

We’re also in the middle of a recruitment campaign for year-round volunteers, which is going really well and several new volunteers have already joined.

Because we’ve said it many times before, but people don’t really get it: we’re a volunteer-driven organisation and we can always use more.

It still seems like people think we’re a huge organisation with a lot of employees.

But we’re not.

That’s why our two employees and three interns deserve an extra big hand: Steve, Betty, Camilla, Lisa and August.

Fortunately, you’ll have a few more colleagues helping you very soon.

Thank you to everyone who made the programme, and to those who provided the locations this year: Studenterhuset, Jailhouse, Centre Stage and Vela.

And finally, of course, thank you to everyone else in the organisation: all volunteers, subject managers, the board, etc. etc.

And remember what I started with now that Winter Pride week is starting: Shut up…. Say a little less and listen a little more…

Although I recognise that it’s easy to say when you’ve just given a 10-minute speech.

Anyway, have a great Copenhagen Winter Pride 2025!