Married Lesbian Couple Rescued 40 Teens from Norway Massacre

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

Comments

[Shannon LC Cate]

Go Team Lesbian! Don't care what anyone says, I can be proud that they are family. It's not a question of whether it matters to the deed, it's a matter of celebrating when your people do something cool. If they were American tourists, you better believe an article would be pointing that out ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE. Even though, of course we all know that nationality has nothing to do with basic human bravery.

So quit being jerks and let the dykes (as in, the dykes celebrating their connection to these heroes) have their day.

[Brandon]

Why should it matter what their sexuality is? If I saved lives during an event like this, I sure as hell wouldn't want to be identified as a "straight, Catholic male" in the press clippings.

A hero is a hero. Quit injecting politics and political correctness into news stories.

[mel]

Sisterhood at its finest WELL DONE LADIES I nedeed to read this tonight!!!!!!

[Thomas]

I wonder what is your source? Where you get the story from?

[Becky Barath]

The fact that they are heroines has nothing to do with their married status or sexual preference, as a Norwegian I could care less what they 'are', but I DO care about WHAT they did...I read about them right after it happened, the Norwegian media didn't mention their sexuality, because it really doesn't matter! Fantastic human beings - who unselfishly helped rescue 40 young men and women :-)

[Kite]

Hey @Scarlettwith2ts - speak for yourself. I thought it was hilarious, and not in the weeniest bit homophobic. You may be acquainted with the concept of humour and irony, perhaps?

Funny how people are so threatened by their sexuality being mentioned. It's just so AMAZING to hear of queer heroes - it's all straight straight straight, and going on how I haven't heard of these women, when really, the media DOES love a hero,

we haven't heard of them in the mainstream media

simply because they are

LESBIANS

Anyone who misses that point when they say querulously "but what does their SEXUALITY" have to do with it?"

you go ask the mainstream media.

[tina]

why on earth does it matter what their sexuality is? What is the point of printing this? Would they report a "heterosexual married couple" did the same? I commend their bravery, but putting the focus on their sexuality is ridiculous and unrelated altogether.

[Leslie Sirag]

Four boatloads! Forty people! Does Norway have a Medal of Honor?
Somehow it doesn't surprise me that these were women, gay or straight, rescuing kids, while all the official men who should have been doing the job diddled around.

[Jason]

I agree with Scarlettwith2ts. I fail to see how their sexual orientation has anything to do with the heroic act they preformed. Are you saying that had they been straight, they would have ignored the teens, or is noting the sexual preference of peoples you write articles about something you always do? What about the teens that were rescued, how many of them were gay and why did you not note that? Oh that's right, it wasn't noted because IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT HAPPENED.

Hege Dalen and Toril Hansen are heroes and deserve our thanks and much more, however the fact that they are a married lesbian couple is utterly unimportant and, if anything, this fact detracts from their deed.

[Shane]

il ne devrait pas grave si elles sont lesbiennes ou non .... préférence sexuelle ne doit pas être une partie de l'histoire.

[apri]

Very Brave!

[IbraAB]

The moral of the story is not the rescue they've done but rather to say GAYNESS is our heroes eh ! :/ okay we got ur point hell is that way >> 010

[Julie Atherton]

AWESOME!!!!! GO LADIES GO!

[Eowyn9]

An amazing story that should definitely be more widely publicized! These women deserve a medal and international recognition for their brave actions.

[Nina Maria]

Wow, these ladies are heroes. No words can properly
describe their heroism and the impact they have had on so
many innocent victims. Ladies, take a bow--you are both priceless!

[Karla Love]

Their bravery to not run away from danger when other people needed their help is amazing. Yes the "they're lesbians" comment is funny, but that is not what caused them to aid others. They are amazing people for who they are-not their sexuality.

[RomillyHoward]

I don't care if they're lesbians or not; they saved dozens of lives and should be honored for it.

[Kylee]

Example of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. These are the sorts of stories that should be told. Bravery, courage and a completely selfless act! It is truly wonderful that there are such people in the world.

[Ole A. Imsen]

As a Norwegian, I thought I'd supply these facts:
-Same sex mariage has been legal in Norway since 1998.
-The Norwegian Lutheran Church (state run/financed) allows gay marriage in church. The individual priest can refuse to do it, but gay people in Norway have the right to marry in church, and several have in the Oslo Cathedral that now has its outsides covered with flowers to commemorate the people who died in the terrorist attack.
-Norwegian law doesn't recognize any marriage ceremonies done by any religion as legal. You have to go to a public office and register. If you choose to do any ceremony, religious or civil, that is up to you and incidental. The government doesn't have any opinion about it.
-In Norway you get the same protection by law whether you are married or registered as partners living together.

And as an aside, having same sex marriage since 1998 has NOT affected straight marriage here at all. But of course conservative Christians and Islamists (and I'm sure many other religious adherents)are united in their dislike of it.

[Megan rogers]

Terrific! You are an inspiration to my children. The power to save beats the power to destroy any day. This is the power that lives on.

[ailie]

The point wasn't that their sexuality lead to their heroism but it certainly has lead to their being ignored by the media and agencies!

[Michael Hudston]

Brilliant

[Nick stone]

Yes they are brave people I agree, however this has nothing to do with them being lesbians, it is still biologically unnatural to be gay or lesbian,fact.
As for the Islam side of the argument just read their policy's on LAG people if they managed to get into power, or introduce Sharia law in Europe.

[Stephen Lok]

Heroes, Laura, not Hero's.

[wewie]

We should be celebrating these women. They have given 40 young people the belief that there is 'someone watching over them' ... We've all dreamt of the fairy godmother but this time herself and her wife came, they obviously have a very close relationship. Celebrate their bravery, their bond and their sexuality :o)