Woman faces 3-year prison term in Norway for saying it's 'impossible' for men to be lesbians

A woman in Norway is facing criminal charges and up to three years in prison for saying that men cannot be lesbians. This news comes as Norwegian police dismissed similar charges brought against another woman back in May of this year.

According to Reduxx, the latest woman to face criminal charges is Tonje Gjevjon, a lesbian artist who was informed on Nov 17 that she was under investigation for hate speech because of a Facebook post written on Oct 1.

“It is just as impossible for men to become lesbians as it is for men to become pregnant,” said Gjevjon in the Facebook post. “Men are men regardless of their sexual fetishes.”

In the post, Gjevjon named Christine Jentoft, the trans-identified male who made hate speech allegations against Norwegian gender critical feminist Christina Ellingsen earlier this year. She had also said that men can be neither lesbians nor mothers. Ellingsen announced earlier today that the charges against her had been dismissed. 

In 2020, Norway added gender identity and gender expression to the country’s hate speech legislation, despite warnings from gender critical activists that doing so would be detrimental to freedom of speech particularly with regards to the gender debate. This opened the doors for any male who claims to be a woman to bring hate speech allegations against anyone who believes that women are female and it is impossible for humans to change sex.

In a Facebook post, Jentoft, a trans-identified male who claims to be both a lesbian and a mother, wrote that as one case is closed, “a new one takes its place.” But this time, Jentoft claims not to be responsible for the complaint. 

“Repeat for those who need clear text, I have not reported Tonje Gjevjon, and the case against Christina Ellingsen has been closed,” said Jentoft.

Gjevjon told Reduxx that her Facebook post was a deliberate attempt to draw attention to Norway’s hate speech law and she has been actively trying to engage politicians in the debate for years, which has led to her being ostracized by the artist community.

“I have stated that women are female, that lesbians do not have penises, that children should not be responsible for decisions they do not have the capacity to understand the scope of, and that no-platforming is harmful to democracy. For these opinions, I have been canceled several times,” Gjevjon wrote in an article published in Klassekampen.

“I was not prepared for the extent of how queer organizations, politicians and activist would demonize a lesbian artist who was not in step. Trans activists contact people I work with, portraying me as hateful and warning against being associated with me.” 

Now Gjevjon faces not just cancellation but criminal charges simply for defending the rights of women and lesbians.