Social engagement
KEY FIGURES
Associational activities
16 % of homosexuals and bisexuals ...
14 % of transgender and nonbinary persons ...
14-15 % of heterosexuals and cisgender persons ...
... have participated in association or organisation meetings on a monthly basis within the past year.
Source: Greve et al. (2022)
Membership of a political party
7 % of homosexuals and bisexuals ...
7 % of transgender and nonbinary persons ...
4 % of heterosexuals and cisgender persons ...
... are members of a political party.
Source: Greve et al. (2022)
Association sports
32 % of homosexuals and bisexuals ...
15 % of transgender and nonbinary persons ...
37 % of heterosexuals and cisgender persons ...
... do sports in a sports club on a weekly or monthly basis.
Source: Greve et al. (2022)
- The share of LGBT+ persons who participate in associational activities does not differ from that of the remaining population.
- LGBT+ persons are more politically active than the rest of the population. The share of LGBT+ persons who are members of a political party is almost twice as large as that of the remaining population. Up to 10 % of transgender women and bisexual men are members of a political party.
- Especially transgender and nonbinary persons experience poor conditions and exclusion from association sports. Less than half as many transgender and nonbinary persons participate in association sports compared to the rest of the population.
Editing was completed September 2023
Historically as well as today, Denmark has many associations and a very high level of participation in all parts of society. In 2020, 40 % of the population volunteered in an association. Moreover, a lot of people are members of local sports clubs, associations for senior citizens, evening schools etc.
LGBT+ persons participate in as many associational activities as the rest of the population. The table includes all types of associations. Being a volunteer in an association does not merely benefit the association. For instance, a study finds that voluntary work on a weekly basis is associated with high mental well-being. In other words, it creates value at several levels.
As the only LGBT+ subgroup, transgender men do not participate in associational activities as often as cisgender men.
Transgender and nonbinary persons, however, are significantly underrepresented when it comes to participation in sports clubs. See the bottom of the theme page.
Among other things, associations such as LGBT+ Denmark, SABAAH and LGBT ASYLUM seek to prevent loneliness through social activities, groups and communities for and by the LGBT+ community. Find social activities for LGBT+ persons in the LGBT+ Denmark map.
Are you a young LGBT+ person below the age of 18 looking to make new friends?
Aura is for young LGBT+ persons below the age of 18 looking to network with other young people who do not belong in traditional gender and/or sexual orientation categories. You can find Aura throughout the country. Read more on the Aura website.
Associational activities
“Finding a community through Sabaah opened a whole new world to me. A world I didn’t know existed. It has helped me come to terms with who I am.”
- Maria (LGBT+-person)
One way to exert political influence is to be politically active or a member of a political party. The share of the population who were members of a political party peaked in 1955 at 28 %. Recent decades, however, have seen a gradual decrease in the number of political party members. Today, around 4 % of the population are members of a political party. Nevertheless, party members continue to be vital to Danish politics, as they help shape policies and provide candidates for political elections (local, regional and national).
The share of LGBT+ persons who are members of a political party is higher than that of the remaining population. This is especially true of homosexual and bisexual men and transgender women. In total, around 7 % of homosexuals and bisexuals are members of a political party, while the same is true of only 4 % of heterosexuals.
Among transgender women and bisexual men, up to 10 % are members of a political party.
We do not know how many LGBT+ persons sit on municipal councils or in the Danish Parliament. In a questionnaire distributed by the Danish Institute for Human Rights to all candidates at the 2022 parliamentary election, 11 % said that they identified as LGBT+. This suggests that there is a fair share of LGBT+ persons among political candidates in Denmark.
In total, the figures suggest that LGBT+ persons are politically active – possibly because they find that their life is largely dictated by politics, and they are committed to protecting and increasing the rights of LGBT+ persons.
However, this does not say anything about the conditions of LGBT+ persons in politics, or whether they – like women, young people and ethnic minorities – are more susceptible to threats and harassment.
Membership of a political party
“Friendships and the social aspect of doing sports in a club are what matters to me. I have tried to join a fitness centre multiple times, but it just does not work for me. I also love the fact that I don’t have to explain myself, as I play basketball in an LGBT+ club.”
- Thea (LGBT+-person)
Historically as well as today, a lot of Danes are members of local sports clubs. In 2022, the 6,660 Danish DGI sports clubs had a total of 1.77 million members. The main groups are children aged 7-12 years and adults aged 40-59 years.
Significantly fewer homosexual men and transgender persons participate in local sports clubs. Only 15 % of transgender persons are members of a local sports club – compared to almost 40 % of the cisgender population.
A survey from 2020 shows that a lot of LGBT+ persons – especially transgender and nonbinary persons – do not feel socially included in association sports, where they experience derogative comments, verbal abuse and prejudice, and that changing rooms in particular are an obstacle. It also shows that negative experiences can cause LGBT+ persons to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity and eventually resign from the association.
Through the initiative #Gamechanger, a series of sports organisations, the Danish Institute for Human Rights and Amnesty International aim to bring focus to the fact that clubs and associations should be open to everyone – regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
On the Gamechanger website, you can read more about how you can become a gamechanger in your local sports club and help make sports more versatile and inclusive and characterised by a more civil tone and respect for diversity.
44 % of homosexual men and women who are active in football clubs throughout the country regularly or often experience discriminatory language in football contexts. For those who have grown up with association sports and spent a lot of their childhood and youth in sports centres or fields, it can be difficult to say goodbye to that community, when they later in life find that it does not welcome their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Pan Idræt is a sports club for LGBT+ persons with activities in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg. It offers more than 26 types of sport and has more than 1,600 members. LGBT+ persons living in Aarhus or its environs can choose between various sports and social activities in Aarhus Regnbue Idræt.
Intersex and transgender persons wanting to practise elite-level sports face specific obstacles, as they may have to abide by e.g., testosterone level requirements. In November 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) updated its requirements to transgender and intersex persons, removing requirements regarding testosterone level, medication and surgery. Instead, the IOC now prioritises inclusion over fairness and shifts the burden of proof to those claiming that transgender and intersex persons have an advantage. TheSports Confederation of Denmark (DIF), which is responsible for providing guidelines in a Danish context, prioritises fair competition for cisgender women over inclusion of transgender and intersex persons. However, the local confederations are free to set their own rules for participation.
Association sports
- Greve, J., Østergaard, S. V., Andersen, M., & Thomsen, M. K. (2022). Kortlægning af homo- og biseksuelles samt trans- personers levevilkår og samfundsdeltagelse - VIVE Det Nationale Forsknings- og Analysecenter for Velfærd.
- Analyse og Tal (2020). Udfordringer og barrierer blandt LGBTI+ personer i idrætsforeninger.
- Bennike, S., Schelde, N. & Porse, R. (2020). Diversiteten i dansk fodbold - en undersøgelse med fokus på alder, køn, indkomst, uddannelseslængde, etnicitet og seksualitet.