Has anyone heard about the married lesbian couple who rescued 40 kids during the Oslo massacre?

Yeah, I heard about it.

I'm not really interested in their sexual orientation. I'm more interested in how they dropped everything and risked their lives to save forty people without any prior planning.

I don't think it was reported because the gunman, the motive, the actions, and the killed all took precedence. You've also not heard much about the police officers who stormed the island and the officer who apprehended the guy.

I do feel for that couple. I mean, they'll be having an awful lot of whatifs going through their minds at the moment. Inevitably, there must have been more people trying to board their boat that could fit on it, and maybe those people weren't alive when they returned to pick them up.

Yeah....there is already a thread about this last week.

I was so happy when I heard they returned four times to the island. That's mighty brave of them.

I heard about this over in P&CE. I'm still waiting for big media outlets to deal with it in some capacity.

I don't think they will. :-/

I wonder why their sexual orientation needs to be brought up.

If it were a heterosexual couple, I doubt the topic of discussion would be "Straight couple save 40".

Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, colors, backgrounds... but in the end, a hero is what a hero does.

Sheila Muirenn said:

True. But I think the blogger's point was that they were being ignored due to their orientation.

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Agreed.

Sheila Muirenn said:

True. But I think the blogger's point was that they were being ignored due to their orientation.

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Yep...

Also, while it should be common sense that heroes come from all backgrounds, colors, ethnicities, genders, and sexualities, some people sadly need to be reminded of that. Especially when there are still people out there who see QUILTBAG people as sinners and perverts, and see our sexual orientations or gender identities as conflicting with our ability to be good people.

Sheila Muirenn said:

True. But I think the blogger's point was that they were being ignored due to their orientation.

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Don't get me wrong, I didn't read the article. What I was commenting on was the idea of bringing their sexuality up in a situation like that.

I was neither taking a jab at you or a jab at the writer of the article.

Was more of a generalist comment on a very narrow concept.

It is, however, obvious that I should have read the article just to make sure I shouldn't come off wrong on the subject of homosexuality and its importance in representing someone.

Thank you for responding!

I heard about it through Tweets from a couple of people. When I looked into it a bit more I found out that they were two of several people who'd rescued people from the island, sometimes under fire! It bugged me that there's so little coverage of actions like these. So I didn't think it was being ignored because of their orientation, since I'd actually seen more about them than other people who'd done similar things that day. It just bothered me there was so little coverage of any of the heroic actions ordinary people took, while meanwhile we hear every last detail the press can find about the killer.

I'm skeeved out by the fact the press have turned him into an almost-matyr of sorts. It's just the way they are reporting him. Paying barely any attention to the heroes.

DancingMaenid said:

Also, while it should be common sense that heroes come from all backgrounds, colors, ethnicities, genders, and sexualities, some people sadly need to be reminded of that. Especially when there are still people out there who see QUILTBAG people as sinners and perverts, and see our sexual orientations or gender identities as conflicting with our ability to be good people.

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If it were a black couple who did this in the Jim Crow South, it would be appropriate, in my opinion, for the press to emphasize the fact that they were black.

The fact is, homosexuals are treated as second class citizens here in the US, and denied basic civil rights that are afforded to everybody else.
Until this is rectified, it needs to be thrown in our faces that these "subhumans" (that's obviously how we view them, since we don't believe they deserve to marry or have any of the protections inherent in marriage) behaved heroically while more worthy individuals (ie, straight people) stood around with their thumbs up their butts and did nothing.

For the LGBT people here: how would you feel if you did something special, and a news headline quoted your sexuality/gender identity along with what you did?

Personally, if any reporter found out my history and stated that I was transsexual in a headline, I'd be annoyed at best.

The article I read a few days ago on Yahoo, indicated these women's heroics may not have been reported because they happen to be lesbian. The articles writer did not attempt to answer the question, which was clearly intended as a teaser. I can't find anyone who does know the answer, or even if the question is reasonable.
What is known is, these women rescued 40 survivors of the attack, and they discovered later on that their boat had sustained bullet holes; clear indication that they had come under fire themselves.
I don't believe that the sexual preference of these women is important to the event. I do, however, feel their actions may advance the understanding that GLBT people are every bit the fabric of a nation and society as anyone. Gay and straight, one day at a time, we move closer to one another.

Becca_H said:

For the LGBT people here: how would you feel if you did something special, and a news headline quoted your sexuality/gender identity along with what you did?

Personally, if any reporter found out my history and stated that I was transsexual in a headline, I'd be annoyed at best.

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I may not like it if it was part of the headline (unless my gender and sexuality was relevant to what I'd done), or if it was thrown in there extraneously, but if they mentioned it in a roundabout way, like if they mentioned, in addition to the fact that I'm a student, that I'm active in the LGBT group at my university, I think I'd feel honored.

Becca_H said:

For the LGBT people here: how would you feel if you did something special, and a news headline quoted your sexuality/gender identity along with what you did?

Personally, if any reporter found out my history and stated that I was transsexual in a headline, I'd be annoyed at best.

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I wouldn't mind. If it would help people realize that neutrois people exist and that trans people can be heroes too, I'd welcome it.

Becca_H said:

For the LGBT people here: how would you feel if you did something special, and a news headline quoted your sexuality/gender identity along with what you did?

Personally, if any reporter found out my history and stated that I was transsexual in a headline, I'd be annoyed at best.

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I'd be pretty annoyed.

I wouldn't mind so much if they profiled me later "Soul is married to her wife of X years and they have (insert offspring) of their own"

"lesbian rescues puppy" is not a very nice thing.

I heard and I think the article was saying that their heroism were unacknowledged because they are lesbians. I also agree with Bracken and DancingMaenid. Sadly,too many still believe that LGBT aren't human beings and other bullcaca. Stories like this reinforce that he/she-roes are all over the place.

I am not sure that there's an bias here; I think it's actually more a sign of wretched U.S. coverage of anything outside our borders.

These heros aren't in the U. S. press either:

Kasper Ilaug

Marcel Gleffe

But they are in International press coverage, as are Toril Hansen and Hege Dalen.

Gabrielle Gifford's intern, Daniel Hernandez, Jr., who administered first aid when she was shot in an assassination attempt and helped save her life, is openly gay.

Which wasn't reported in most media.

Gay people do heroic things??????

UNPOSSIBLE!

What is this world coming to?!

Medievalist said:

I am not sure that there's an bias here; I think it's actually more a sign of wretched U.S. coverage of anything outside our borders.

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I've not seen them covered in any mainstream UK media, apart from when it hit the papers ten days later. Although I think the media was more interested in the gunman than anything else. Someone like that is truly terrifying = great news story.

I did see someone in Norway complaining they weren't reported either, but I'm not sure if I could find that again.