Student protest outside the rector’s office building: "Pride is political? No shit"

"Pride is political? No shit."

These words appeared on a banner that ten students and other young people from Aarhus unfurled in front of the rector’s office building at Aarhus University on Friday afternoon. The students believe that by distancing itself from this year’s Aarhus Pride, AU is failing both LGBTQ+ rights and its own commitment to diversity.

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

The protest comes in response to a statement from AU rector Brian Bech Nielsen, who has announced that the university will not be represented at this year’s Pride, as it has, in his view, become politicised. But according to the demonstrating students, it’s nothing new that the pride is political.

These are the words of one of the initiators, Kren Wenzel Måge, who is a Master's degree student in history at AU and a member of Red-Green Youth, Aarhus.

“We think it’s pretty obvious that fighting for diversity, equal rights, and tolerance is political. Just look at the US, where politicians are putting LGBTQ+ rights under intense pressure. We believe this is no time to hesitate or retreat simply because the issue is political. If Pride is political, then everything is political in some way," Kren Wenzel Måge says.

"The hope is that it will be noticed"

This Friday afternoon - in pouring rain - it does not seem that anyone is at home in the rector's office building on Nordre Ringgade. It is, after all, the day after Ascension Day, when many people have the day off. Among the protesters, there is visible frustration directed at the darkened windows. “We had hoped someone would be here,” they say.

"What’s fucked up with AU?” shouted one of the protesters, and a fellow protester responded:

"That they don't support pride and do all sorts of lame things."

Before the protest, Kren Wenzel Måge explained to Omnibus what they hoped the action would achieve.

"The hope is that it will be noticed. I don’t think the management team will change its decision because of this, but I hope it can send a message to students at Aarhus University who, for example, are queer themselves and rely on people standing up for their rights. That they know that there are students and young people in Aarhus who speak up and have their backs. That is our realistic goal," Kren Wenzel Måge said.

Isabella Heilmann has also turned up to demonstrate against AU's decision. She is not a student, but works at the Royal Danish Library and is active in various activist communities. She believes it shows a lack of historical awareness that AU will not be represented at this year’s Pride due to politicisation.

“That’s where they completely miss the point, because Pride is about human rights after all. It's deeply ignorant of history. I think it’s a very political statement from Aarhus University to withdraw like this, especially since the Pride board hasn’t made any particularly political statements. At a minimum, a Pride parade is about fighting for respect, equality, and ensuring that no human rights are violated,” Isabella Heilmann says.

AU has not announced anything other than that it has noted that this year's Pride "unlike in previous years, is reportedly seeking to take a more pronounced stance on certain political issues," and that the university remains committed to diversity and inclusion, but does not, as an organisation, wish to be associated with other political causes.

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