Norwegian Actress May face Three Years in Prison for Stating Men cannot become Lesbians
A Norwegian woman could be facing up to three years in prison for violating the country’s “hate speech” laws by stating men cannot be lesbians.
Tonje Gjevjon, a Norwegian filmmaker and actress who identifies as lesbian, has stated she is being investigated by the police after a Facebook post in which she criticized transgender activist Christine Jentoft. Jentofst, a biological man, refers to himself as a “lesbian mother.”
Her Facebook post on the incident includes the following,
“Associations such as the association free and men who fetishize being a lesbian full-time are now using the legislation passed by the Parliament to report people who do not want to comply with this insane belief regime. It’s just as impossible for men to become lesbian as it is for men to get pregnant. Men are men regardless of their sexual fetishes.”
Tonje Gjevjon’s via Facebook
Gjevjon has stated that she posted her statement knowing that it violates Norway’s hate speech laws. In 2020, the Norwegian parliament voted to outlaw hate speech that targets transgender individuals. The penal code states that an individual can face up to three years in prison for a public comment that violates the law, and up to one year in prison for a private comment that violates the law.
Stories like these are started to become increasingly common around the world. Western countries like Canada, Germany, France, and so many more have enacted laws that punish individuals for hateful speech. These laws are incredibly subjective because they use vaguely defined terms like “hate” and “discrimination.” For example, Canada argues that “misgendering” your trans child is akin to violence.
It is important to appreciate and not take for granted the first Amendment rights we have in the United States. Not all countries have the same degree of freedom of speech, and while these restrictions are not yet implemented in America they could soon be introduced as legislation.
