Helsinki Pride 2019 - a look back at summer

Watch the recording: A Pride week panel at Think Corner!

University of Helsinki proudly presents: “Change is Coming - Different Voices!” panel discussion. 

Link to the video recording on University of Helsinki’s Unitube channel. Please note that the recording is in Finnish and has no subtitles.   

University of Helsinki organized a panel discussion "Change is Coming - Different Voices!" at Think Corner on June 27, 2019 as a part of Helsinki Pride. The event was organized by the University's Equality and diversity committee, the Helsinki University Library, the Helsinki University Student Union's Community Development Committee and the Queer Students' Association (Opiskelijavinokkaat). The event was held in order to further equality and diversity at the University. 

Panel about equality at the University and in the school world

The event was opened by University of Helsinki’s Vice-Rector Tom Böhling and the opening speech was given by President Tarja Halonen. The YL Male Choir performed songs about love at the beginning and end of the event.  

The participants in the panel were Vice-Rector Tom Böhling, senior lecturer in sociology of education and senior researcher Jukka Lehtonen, medical student and chairperson of Seta Sakris Kupila and sociology student and spokesperson for transgender people Hippu Helminen. The discussion was chaired by Poppis Kettunen, the chairperson of Queer Students' Association. The panel discussed issues such as equality and diversity work at the University, dismantling heteronormative structures in education, the amendment of the Trans Act as a human rights question and the rights of non-binary people.  

Other Pride events at the University  

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Pride movement, Helsinki University Library hosted "Pride - 50 Years of Movement" book exhibition which displayed LGBTQ material at the Library. The themes for the exhibition were the history of Pride and LGBTQ movement and gender and sexual diversity. The exhibition was on display at Kaisa House's Guidance Corner. 

This year marked University of Helsinki’s first official participation in Helsinki Pride. Rainbow flags were also flown during Pride Week on all University of Helsinki Campuses. 

Come and join us for Pride 2020! We will announce events during spring 2020.