Norway's women's movement is highly developed, assisted by progressive government and a 19861989 Labour administration led by a woman, Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, which endeavoured to even out parliamentary representation by promoting women into the cabinet. Contacts in Oslo can be made through the Norsk Kvinnessaksforening, Kvinnehuset, RSdhusgate 2 («0214 97 79). In Sweden, the women's movement is also strongly developed, riding on the back of the social welfare reforms introduced by the Social Democratic governments of the last forty years. You'll find women's centres in most major towns, contacts in Stockholm including Grupp 8 at Snickarbacken 10, an active socialistfeminist group, Frederika Bremer FSrbundet, Biblioteksgatan 12, a domestic campaigning organisation and RIFFI, Vanadisvagen 7, set up to help immigrant women in Sweden. Women in Finland were the first to achieve suffrage, but in spite of that its women's movement is lagging behind the rest of Scandinavia, and there have been fewer reforms to benefit the lot of women over the years. The major feminist organisation, Unioni, first established in 1892 in Helsinki, is the best place for uptodate information (Bulevardi 11A: «90643158, MonFri 10am 1 pm & 25pm; closed midJune to July). i"- 201 BASICS GAY SCANDINAVIA Scandinavia comprises some of the most liberated and tolerant countries in Europe. Gays are rarely discriminated against in law, and the age of consent is almost uniformly the same as for heterosexuals usually fifteen. However, in all four mainland countries you'll not find much of a scene outside the capitals. AHITUDES AND THE LAW Denmark used to have a reputation for being the gay pornography capital of the world, and although this is no longer so, there is a very good gay scene in Copenhagen for details see Chapter One. As far as the law goes, in 1989 the Danish parliament voted to make a form of homosexual marriage legal, and it is currently studying other ways of eliminating discrimination against gays. For more information contact the Landsforeningen for b0sser og lebiske, KnabrostraBde 3, Copenhagen. Norway was the first country in the world in 1981 to pass a law making discrimination against homosexuals illegal, though this has not yet been fully tested in the courts. Society is reasonably tolerant of homosexuality, and gays can be quite open about their sexuality if they wish. There is a strong and effective gay organisation, with a national HQ in Oslo (DNF48, Postbox 1305, Vika, N0112, Oslo 1) and branches throughout the country. In Sweden there are no laws homosexuality and Swedish opinion is, again reasonably liberal. However, there are very fevi gay bars, and gay saunas and video shops with cubicles have been outlawed since mid1987 The national organisation, the RFSL, can be contacted at PO Box 350, S10124, Stockholm, and provides a free gay guide to Sweden though if you send for a copy, remember you should at least cover the postage.