Cultivate diversity all year round
The parade on 1 July marks the end of the Pride-month, and this celebration is still very much needed. At the same time, every day should be a day of diversity.
At UiO, diversity among students and staff must be ensured all year round. We shall secure a safe and diverse arena for both learning and studying, and we shall strive for all people having the same opportunities to influence and participate in society.
This requires that we, through our academic communities and through our educations, contribute to knowledge, understanding, and the ability to engage in dialogue. Only this way can we fight prejudice and hatred and safeguard the rights of the individual.
The university as an institution has a particularly important role to play in this, a role that must be preserved through continuous commitment.
Promote knowledge and dialogue
Last year’s terrorist attack and the public debate recently has shown how important this is. Debates about diversity have become tougher. Critical statements are more visible, and many hesitate to partake in what can quickly become very polarised discussions.
As such it is important that we, as a central voice on the public arena, use our position to be clear about our values, to contribute to conveying knowledge, and to an even greater degree insist that dialogue is necessary. That is exactly what we do as students and researchers at UiO, and I am very happy about that.
Among other things, we have organised many interesting academic events in June. The Faculty of Theology’s event about queers and Islam, held approximately one year after the terrorist attack, is one such example. The recurring message from the panellists was that discrimination comes in many forms and guises, directed both at gender expression, sexual orientation, and ethnicity, but also at religion. It is important that we facilitate debates such as this. We must contribute knowledge and promote increased understanding.
Work towards unity and understanding
Nobody should feel less than other people, regardless of their identity. We will stand with all students and staff at UiO and bring this unity out into society. Anyone that feels alone, or feel small in a group of others, must be met with openness and solidarity.
Unity and understanding requires ?space?. We shall have that in our studies and research, but also everywhere else people meet. We tried to contribute to this through the Pride beading workshops we organised this month, where everyone was welcome to drop by and make Pride bracelets, have a cup of coffee and talk. Many young people attended this event. It seemed that they appreciated a place where they could be themselves, together with friends and family, and make something to be used both during Pride and after the celebrations. Because although it is important to celebrate diversity in the month of June, it is perhaps as important to celebrate it in November, March, and throughout the year.
UiO will participate in the Oslo Pride parade under the slogan “Fearless knowledge”. We are many that stand together in solidarity. It contributes to greater security for all of us in the fight against prejudice and hatred, and for everyone to live a safe life, regardless of who they are.
