While the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth, and Family Affairs (Bufdir) has a large array of focuses, such as child welfare, adoption, and family counseling, our PSYCH 232 class met with representatives from the equality and non-discrimination sector. Specifically, the people that we met with work to secure the rights of queer people in the country, while also generating and disseminating queer knowledge. Different than other information we have gathered on the lives of queer people in Norway, this presentation was actually given to us by queer people living in Norway! From the start, it was established that the meeting would act as a knowledge exchange, allowing us students to ask questions and even challenge the ideas that we were hearing. This made for a thought-provoking and fruitful experience.
Governed by the Norwegian Ministry for Culture and Equality, Bufdir works to provide national ministries and agencies with knowledge on queer subjects. From the research and survey data that Bufdir gathers and analyzes, they are able to make evidence-based policy recommendations. A recently conducted study looked into the need for and effects of adding a third legal gender. Currently, Norway only recognizes the binary genders while still allowing transgender individuals to complete a legal sex change. The newest project that the presenters are working on is a national guideline document that will be used to assist public service workers in respectfully interacting with queer people. One presenter noted that this guideline hopes to be an easily accessible form of queer knowledge in which people, specifically workers in the public sector, can reduce their fears of saying the wrong thing.
Our presenters explained that many ministries are showing openness to adding survey questions regarding diverse gender identities. For example, the Norwegian Ministry of Education collaborated with Bufdir in order to adjust their existing surveys and collect more in depth data about queer youth in Norway. From this adjustment, researchers are now able to better understand transgender and non-binary youth. In addition to the research conducted in and outside of Budfir, our presenters talked about the importance of collaborating with local queer communities. They emphasized that conversations with the people that are most affected by their work is a crucial aspect of the work that they do.
From this presentation, we were able to gain a more nuanced perspective of queer individuals in Norway, and the work that is being done to uplift and protect the community. One instance in which nuance became particularly important was when we were examining some statistics from a recent study. This data suggested that violence and assault rates among the community have been trending upward. However, the numerous influences on this data must be considered. The presenters suggested that this trend could be occurring because more queer people are becoming comfortable enough to make reports. While distrust of the police and the government are still an issue in the community, it is important to focus on the positive aspects. One such positive statistic is that general attitudes of the queer community have become more positive.
The presenters did a wonderful job in highlighting the work that is yet to be done and allowing for us students to present our criticisms. The presentation enabled us to make meaningful comparisons between gender equality and diversity in the US versus in Norway.