Arnfinn Nordbø (born 1983)

As a child and teenager, Nordbø was active in his congreation and the christian milieu in south west Norway. Alongside his brother, he was a popular singing evangelist. Nordbø himself held strictly conservative beliefs, while battling with his feelings about being gay. 

In the end, he was no longer able to hide who he was, and came out. Neither his family, congregation or the larger christian milieu accepted this. His 2009 book, "Betre død enn homofil? - å vere kristen og homo" (Better dead than gay? Being a christian and a gay man), confronted conservative christianity in Norway, and started a nation wide debate on its publication. 

In our interview, Nordbø talks about his childhood, the reactions to his coming out, how the book came to be, and how life as an adult has been. 

In this clip Nordbø speaks of the powerful experience of finally daring to accept to himself who he was, and confront his beliefs and religion. 

The complete interview is available at Skeivt arkivs reading room. 

Skeivt arkiv met Arnfinn Nordbø in Oslo, October 2017.