AI Chat Search Browse Media On This Day Map Quotations Timeline Research Free Datasets Remembered About Contact

Denmark: A cemetery space for city's gays

Wed 9 Apr 2008 In: International News

Gays in Copenhagen have been designated an area in the Danish capital's cemetery for those who want to be buried among people who share their sexual orientation, one of the project initiators said on Tuesday. "We founded an association called Regnbuen (Rainbow) and our goal is that gays and lesbians can be buried next to each other," Ivan Larsen told AFP. The association has rented spots that can hold up to a total of 45 urns at Assistens cemetery. Each space costs 2,500 kroner (NZ$658). The cemetery already hosts figures as diverse as the Danish fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen and the philosopher Soeren Kierkegaard. The area the group has booked is separated from the rest of the cemetery by a large triangle of pebbles on the ground, with a massive rock placed on one of the angles. "The triangle is our old symbol, but it is also a sign of suffering," Larsen said, recalling that the Nazis forced homosexuals to wear a pink triangle. The rainbow flag, a universal symbol for homosexuals representing diversity, will be placed on the rock, he added. "We don't want to isolate ourselves but we also feel a need to be together. We see this as a family grave, one that will be taken care of by our family," said Larsen.    

Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff

First published: Wednesday, 9th April 2008 - 9:17am

Rights Information

This page displays a version of a GayNZ.com article that was automatically harvested before the website closed. All of the formatting and images have been removed and some text content may not have been fully captured correctly. The article is provided here for personal research and review and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of PrideNZ.com. If you have queries or concerns about this article please email us