Karen Pinholt (born 1975)

Translator's Note: This is a machine-assisted translation completed on May 23, 2025. While care has been taken to maintain accuracy, this translation has not yet undergone human review or validation.

Pinholt holds a cand.polit. degree from the University of Oslo. She worked as an advisor in the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs before being elected leader of LLH (The Norwegian LGBT Organization). Since 2004, Pinholt has been active in the Association for Partnership Children.

Karen Pinholt was born in Denmark but has lived in Norway since 1999. Upon becoming leader of LLH, she made changing public attitudes one of her top priorities. During her tenure, several high-profile issues gained national attention:

2005: Advocacy for stepchild adoption

2008: The introduction of a gender-neutral marriage law

2009: Protest against the awarding of the Fritt Ord Prize to Nina Karin Monsen, and the beginning of efforts to secure legal protections for transgender people

2010: LLH filed a police report against Islamist Mohyeldeen Mohammad, who had defended the killing of homosexuals. He later traveled to Syria and joined ISIS (in 2012).

Pinholt’s predecessor as LLH leader was Jon Reidar Øyan; she was succeeded by Bård Nylund. Today, Pinholt serves on the board of Skeiv Verden and chairs the nomination committee for Oslo Pride.

In an excerpt from the interview, she recounts the long process she and her family went through to complete a stepchild adoption.

The full interview is available in our reading room. Skeivt Arkiv interviewed Karen Pinholt in Oslo, March 2024.