Aarhus University is not participating in this year’s Aarhus Pride

Last year, a group of AU employees marched together in the Aarhus Pride parade for the first time under the slogan "AU staff for diversity". The initiative was supported by the senior management team, who backed employees in including the AU logo on their banner.

AU EMPLOYEES TO TAKE PART IN AARHUS PRIDE

But the mood has changed since last year. AU's management doesn’t want the university to be represented at this year's Aarhus Pride, which takes place on 31 May.

"It has been noted that this year’s Pride, unlike in previous years, is seeking to take a more pronounced stance on certain political issues. The university remains committed to diversity and inclusion, but does not, as an organisation, wish to be associated with other political causes, the rector states. Therefore, AU is not taking part as an organisation in this year's Pride. It is of course up to the individual employee whether they want to take part," Brian Bech Nielsen states in a written response.

A more political stance

It's not only AU that distances itself from Aarhus Pride. Out & About recently reported that Aarhus Regnbue Idræt and SLM Aarhus - which describes itself as Jutland's only club for men who are into men - also wont be taking part in this year's pride.

"SLM is a non-political club, and as there are rumours that the Pride will be used for political statements of a different nature than LGBT+ rights, the club does not want to participate and be a part of it," the club's board told Out & About.

In 2025, local newspaper Aarhus Stiftstidende covered the conflict in the LGBTQ+ community in Aarhus, which resulted in the former board of Aarhus Pride leaving and being replaced by a new one. The now former board of directors reportedly felt pressured by what the newspaper described as loud activists. According to Stiftstidende, the new board has ties to the pro-Palestinian community in Aarhus - particularly Queer Palestinian Solidarity Aarhus (Queer PSA) - and has taken a notably different approach compared to the previous board." The former board told Stiftstidende that this part of the community wanted the event to be more political and, for instance, take a stronger stance on Israel's war in Gaza.

The new board of Aarhus Pride will not accept sponsorships from companies or organisations that "support the oppression of minority groups," "are involved in human rights violations," "actively oppose LGBTQ+ rights," or "have business practices that go against our values of equality and respect".

Pride spokesperson Mekaila Englsborg Schwartz – who completed her Master’s degree in English from AU in 2024 – explained to Aarhus Stiftstidende in March that some sponsors have been excluded from this year’s Pride. However, she denied that Queer PSA is part of the new Aarhus Pride board.

"We follow the money trail, and if it turns out that companies are actively profiting from the bad actions of others, we end the collaboration," Mekaila Englsborg Schwartz said.

Maersk is one of the sponsors that has vanished from the Aarhus Pride website. The shipping giant changed its support to Aarhus Pride from Copenhagen Pride last year when the pride in Copenhagen was politicised. For example, Copenhagen Pride declared its solidarity with the Palestinian people and wanted its partners to show their colours in relation to the Palestinian conflict. Neither Maersk nor Aarhus Pride have been willing to disclose why Maersk is no longer a sponsor.

According to its website, Aarhus Pride currently has two main sponsors: Aarhus Municipality and Aarhus Events, with H2O as the so-called silver sponsor.

Criticism from former initiator

At a meeting on 5 May, staff representatives on Aarhus University’s Main Liaison Committee inquired about the university’s participation in this year’s Aarhus Pride. They were told that AU as an organisation does not want to get involved in the pride this year due to the politicisation of the event.

AU's decision is criticised by one of last year's initiators of AU's participation, Caroline Adolphsen, professor at the Department of Law at AU. At the time, she was the joint union representative for academic staff (VIP) and academic staff in administrative positions (AC-TAP), which she no longer is.

“Whether AU chooses to be represented at this year’s Pride is ultimately up to the university itself, especially in light of the political issues mentioned. You can agree or disagree with that. AU is not the only organisation that has withdrawn from the pride. I totally understand that. In other contexts, I think AU has taken a sensible approach to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. I can easily understand why they want to stay out of it," she says and continues:

"The problem arises however, when it’s not communicated to staff and the reasoning behind it is not being explained. And I think it's a problem that they haven't replaced it with anything else. Especially now, when it’s clear that  sexual and gender minorities are under extreme pressure globally. If AU wishes to display that they support all gender identities and sexualities, they should signal that in some other way. It’s really unfortunate that they haven’t done that. You don’t see any sign of support - only that AU has withdrawn from the one visible symbol of that stance, Caroline Adolphsen says.

According to Caroline Adolphsen, the university’s silence on the decision could, conversely, be seen as a withdrawal of support for the cause.

"It's going to look like some kind of attitude or mood shift," she says.

AU should support the cause in other ways

She lists a number of suggestions for what the university could have done: Announce the decision in a newsletter, make the website rainbow-coloured, organise a Friday bar or an event about gender and sexual minorities.

"It’s not difficult to demonstrate a genuine commitment to diversity when it comes to this relatively straightforward cause - one symbolised by a flag we all recognise. Not much is asked, and I simply don't understand why it hasn't been done," Caroline Adolphsen says.

It goes without saying that employees can attend the pride for private purposes, and Caroline Adolphsen intends to do just that, she says.

"As an employee you can be supportive, and I intend to be. But that's not what it's about. Of course you can take part as an employee - you just can’t walk under an Aarhus University banner," she says.

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Cecillia Jensen.