Formspring: What do you see as the biggest differences in US and Norwegian gay culture?

The biggest differences I see between US and Norwegian gay cultures are that:

1) gay and lesbian persons in Norway have achieved acceptance within some conservative groups, such as the Conservative Party. In the US, the main "conservative" political organization, the Republican Party, has yet to reconcile its professed desire for less government intervention in citizens' private lives with its policies on gay and lesbian citizens (where it instead appeals to authoritarian Christian groups).

Along this line, LGBTQ persons in Norway have also enjoyed the support of Norwegian anarchists and anti-establishmentarian youth, who have been effective in pushing back against the anti-gay Neo-Nazi groups in Norway.

2) that Norwegian gay culture is much smaller and feels more homogenized, ensuring a greater melding of the gay subcultures. Because of this, it's very easy to be exposed to other gay subcultures once you've been exposed to one. An example of this is the major Norwegian gay social network (which also doubles as the primary gay hook-up network), Gaysir, which combines LGBTQ news, information, and contact possibilities; it is also an outlet for organizations trying to contact LGBTQ persons.

3) the Norwegian state has actively engaged gay organizations to ensure improvements in Norwegian gay life. It financially supports these organizations, such as Gay & Lesbian Health Norway, and adds liasions between the organizations and relevant state ministries and agencies. This also includes pro-active intervention, such as the current law that prohibits HIV-positive individuals from having sex without condoms. I don't know to what extent US state and federal governments do this.

Formspring: If you could change one thing about your high school experience, what would it be?

I would have come out as gay earlier so that I could experience being honestly gay during my teens. By staying in the closet, I prevented myself from experiencing teen romance and teen first-time sex. Being closeted also brought about frustration in much of my life, frustration that without which I would have been better off.

However, this frustration gave me information I have had and will still have use for in understanding other gay boys / men and their difficulties in embracing their sexuality.

The Day of Silence v. The Day of Speech

Today is the Day of Silence, a day commemorating the silencing of LGBTQ persons and their supporters. I disagree with the idea that we should be silent today; these symbolic displays leave too much unsaid, unspecified for those not in the know. Rather, this should be a Day of Speech, when we verbally come out against our silencing and address the idiocy that discriminates against us.