Mikkel Eskil Mikkelsen (1989-2025)

Translator's Note: This is a machine-assisted translation completed on June 2, 2025. While care has been taken to maintain accuracy, this translation has not yet undergone human review or validation.

Mikkelsen led the development of the Sámi Parliament’s first LGBTQ+ action plan. He was also one of two individuals named LGBTQ+ Person of the Year at the 2018 GayGalla.

Mikkel Eskil André Mikkelsen was born and raised in Tysfjord. He later attended upper secondary school in Hamarøy, including a one-year exchange program in Edinburgh.

Mikkelsen was trained as a musician at the conservatory in Trondheim, with organ as his principal instrument. He served as a cantor in Tysfjord and was elected to the Sámi Parliament in 2017, representing the Norwegian Sámi Association (NSR). From 2017 to 2024, he was a member of the Sámi Parliamentary Council. He also served as the leader of the Salten Sámi Association.

He was one of the first three openly queer representatives in the Sámi Parliament.

In an excerpt from the interview, Mikkelsen spoke about how being openly queer could be challenging in Sámi communities.

On November 5, 2024, Mikkelsen was arrested and charged with possession of child abuse material. He confessed to the charges and resigned from his position on the Sámi Parliamentary Council. He was subsequently expelled from the Norwegian Sámi Association (NSR) due to the case.

The full interview is available in our reading room. We met with Mikkel Eskil Mikkelsen in Tromsø, November 2018.