If, as I insisted, you'd read Tove Jansson's elliptical, elegant Fair Play or her marvelous The Summer Book, you could perfectly envision the Norwegian island chain where married lesbians Hege Dalen and Toril Hansen [adidas] were eating at their campsite when they heard shots and screams across the water. Did they run and hide? No, they're lesbians, so they jumped in their boat and sped toward the slaughter. The women pulled terrified teens from the water and the rocky coast as the insane far-right gunman shot through their vessel. Unfortunately, there were too many youth to fit in the boat. Hege and Toril ferried the group to safety, then hurried back to the massacre, rescuing another boatload. Then they did it yet again. And still again. Altogether in their four trips they saved forty people from the scene where seventy-six died.
The mainstream U.S. media, which loves a hero story almost as much as a tragedy, has been uniformly silent about the lesbian superstars. Instead, you get a gay man, Bruce Bawer, in his self-serving WSJ piece saying how shocked he is to discover his extremist anti-Islam writings are quoted in the extremist anti-Islam writings of a killer. Ignore him and stick with Tove Jansson.
photo: Maija Tammi/HS
Hear, hear! Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Posted by: Arthur Durkee | July 30, 2011 at 07:31 PM
Nothing in gay media uk or main stream news Very brave ladys Should be thanked for the lives they saved
Posted by: john | July 31, 2011 at 03:34 AM
Hero's! Well done ladies x
Posted by: laura | July 31, 2011 at 07:58 AM
Wow, this gave me goosebumps. It's insane that there are not a million comments on this post. These women rock, I love where you wrote, Did they run and hide? No, they're Lesbians.
Made me laugh.
What amazing women. I bow to them. HEROS.
Posted by: bethany | July 31, 2011 at 08:32 AM
¡¡Verdaderamente unas heroínas, mis aplausos por su valerosa acción, por su gallardía y sobretodo por su generosidad y solidaridad; gracias a ellas se salvaron más de 40 vidas y eso hay que resaltarlo, gracias y un abrazo!!
Posted by: Judith Urra | July 31, 2011 at 08:42 AM
Thanks for posting!
Posted by: amy | July 31, 2011 at 09:07 AM
What difference does it do wether they are gay or straight? It's a fabolous thing to do whatever.
Posted by: Me | July 31, 2011 at 09:08 AM
Yes, this is a story that needs to be told as widely as possible, and it's not at all about the two women being lesbians, but about them being heroines... brave, compassionate, strong people who saved lives despite the risk to their own. You just gotta love them for that and more.
Posted by: Rayn Roberts | July 31, 2011 at 11:03 AM
Brilliant and brave! It gives me hope.
Posted by: Mariahn Scarborough | July 31, 2011 at 11:17 AM
THAT IS AWESOME
Posted by: Nehru | July 31, 2011 at 12:19 PM
When I first read the title I was pretty shocked and thought what's sexuality got to do with bravery, but I get the point of the article, sadly.. isn't it appalling that these two women aren't celebrated for their bravery!? I don't really care what people do in the bedroom, what does it have to do with anything?
For the record when I was knife attacked in the underground in London many many years ago the man who saved me was gay, (while all the others on then platform did nothing)and he and his partner nursed me and looked after me for two weeks after, in their flat, caring for me round the clock. Anyone who thinks sexuality between consenting adults has any impact on human kindness needs to wake up, seriously.
Posted by: GiselaGibbon | July 31, 2011 at 12:47 PM
Kudos to both ladies! And many thanks, too.
Posted by: Eleanor | July 31, 2011 at 02:44 PM
The point that they are lesbians is important for two reasons. The first reason is that it may be a factor in their story not making it into the American media; the second is that, if it isn't mentioned, the assumption would be that they were straight, thereby further devaluing the contributions of the LGBT community to society.
Posted by: Erin | July 31, 2011 at 03:55 PM
Good on em both. I hope someone gives them a medal. Shame on USA media.
Posted by: Doug (TAS) | July 31, 2011 at 06:23 PM
Wow, bravery like that deserves to be spread around the world. Going to post this on my FB page.
Posted by: Deborah Grant | July 31, 2011 at 06:42 PM
Does the fact they are a "married lesbian couple" have anything to do with what they did? If they weren't that, if they were just two people, would it be less of an achievement.
Can the Left not use this tragedy as political ammunition to drive whatever agenda they are looking to do?
Posted by: Carter | July 31, 2011 at 07:14 PM
@Erin: Well, of course then it must be obvious. The purpose of doing something courageous is not to reinforce the values of courage or to help our fellow man. Clearly the purpose of commiting doing something courageous is to advance the cause of whatever political agenda one has.
(PS: That's called having a seriously misaligned set of values. Turnign courage into a means to political gain is to attempt to turn courage into a propaganda tool.)
Posted by: Carter | July 31, 2011 at 07:23 PM
Carter, the sad thing is that because of the propaganda spread by the RIGHT-wingers here in the States, propaganda that tries to portray homosexuality as immoral and depraved and so on....more stories like this ARE needed here, simply to provide a counterpoint to the ridiculous spew that issues forth from RIGHT-wing sources. This has absolutely zero to do with political motives, and everything to do with simply providing more evidence of what is already obvious to the majority of the rest of the Western world: that homosexuals are no different than straight people when it comes to issues of moral fiber.
You're absolutely correct that the sexual preference of the women is completely secondary to the fact that they performed an act of heroism. The commenters here aren't saying, "these women are heroes because lesbians are just plain more AWESOME than straight women!" They're saying that this story is just one more piece of proof that one's sexual preference really DOESN'T matter when it comes to their worth as human beings.
Again, because of the way so many folks in the States treat homosexuality as though it were something evil, stories like this ARE needed, simply to help show people how stupid that belief is. There's nothing political about it at all. It's simply the truth.
Posted by: James (no, not THAT James) R. | July 31, 2011 at 08:19 PM
Amazing story. Thanks for reporting! Such great stuff on your site.
Posted by: Lucy Jane Bledsoe | July 31, 2011 at 10:00 PM
I don't really think the sexuality is relevant here. Heroism is heroism, backgrounds are irrelevant. Two amazing ladies, thanks for what you've done. <3
Posted by: El | July 31, 2011 at 11:47 PM
Them being lesbians has NOTHING to do with their undisputed heroism. It doesn't change the cases for or against gay marriage in any way at all. Pointless silly article.
Posted by: Grant | July 31, 2011 at 11:48 PM
Way to go ladies!
Posted by: Griet | July 31, 2011 at 11:50 PM
Absolutely wonderful! Sad though that their sexual preferences should even matter. I mean brave people are brave no matter who they love!
Posted by: Anders Sjöberg | July 31, 2011 at 11:51 PM
"Did they run and hide? No, they're lesbians" What they did was amazing- and it should be better publicised- but i'm not sure they would thank you for putting it all down to their sexuality rather than their own initiative.
Posted by: Scarlettwith2ts | July 31, 2011 at 11:51 PM
Absoloutely brilliant, these two deserve recognition for their bravery rather than being ignored because of their sexuality.
Posted by: Waricck | July 31, 2011 at 11:52 PM