Finnish PM Sanna Marin was raised by lesbian mums
BY SOPHIE GRIFFITHS, IMAGE VIA THE NEWS PIG
This week Sanna Marin makes history. The 34-year-old politician, who previously served as Finland’s Minister for transport and communications, has now become the youngest ever leader of a nation.
A member of the Social Democrats party, she was elected after Antti Rinne resigned from his position as Prime Minister after just six months in office after losing the confidence of a coalition partner over his handling of a postal strike.
After the election Marin said: “I never thought about my age or gender. I think of the reasons I got into politics, and those things which have won the trust of the electorate.”
“People have always been equal”
Marin was raised by her two mothers and is from a working-class background which has had a significant impact on her values.
Back in 2015, Marin said: “For me, people have always been equal. It’s not a matter of opinion. That’s the foundation of everything.”
Coming from a same-sex family, Marin felt silenced due to the stigma and judgement she might face if she discussed her mothers publicly.
Marin told Menaiset: “That was something that couldn’t be discussed. It is only now in the 21st century that the debate on rainbow families has begun quite openly.”
Käytiin pyörähtämässä #helsinkipride marssilla. Todettiin meteli liian kovaksi ja siirryttiin muumikahvilaan. Hyvää Pride-viikkoa kaikille! #Pride #SDP pic.twitter.com/BZFvKMo5zg
— Sanna Marin (@MarinSanna) June 30, 2018
“Invisibility caused a feeling of incompetence. We were not recognised as a true family or equal with others. But I wasn’t much bullied. Even when I was little, I was very candid and stubborn. I wouldn’t have taken anything easy.”
She credited her family with providing a stable support system which meant she was able to become the first in her family to attend university and go on to follow her dreams.
Marin is also very active on social media and shows plenty of support for the LGBTQI community – sharing pictures of herself at Pride and making other rainbow families feel seen.
Finland leads the way
Finland was also ranked as having the fourth-best laws and policies in the world for protecting the rights of the LGBTQI community according to ILGA-Europe advocacy group earlier this year.
Sanna Marin becoming PM of Finland is demonstrative of a greater step forward for LGBTQI acceptance and equality in Finland and Europe.
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Nice to see you writing about our wonderful new prime minister, but their name is Sanna – not Sana 😉