1933: Denmark decriminalise same-sex relations
Denmark was among the first countries in the world to decriminalise same-sex relations between men, which had previously been punished with community service. Same-sex relations between women had, however, never been effectively illegal and thus this relation was not subject to neither ban nor decrimilisation.
1948: The first Danish LGBTQ interest group
The organisation that is nowadays known as LGBT Danmark dates back to 1948, which ranks it among the world's oldest existing LGBTQ organisations.
1955: The oldest gay bar in the world
Centralhjørnet is located in Copenhagen's historic Latin Quarter and is regarded as the world's oldest gay bar. It opened in 1917, where it was known as a place for men to meet other men up until 1955 when the bar would be publicly known as a gay bar.
1986: The establisment of Copenhagen's LGBTQ Film Festival
The film festival which is nowadays known as MIX Copenhagen was established in 1986. For the past couples of years, the festival has boycott films with cis-actors portraying trans characters.
1989: Denmark legalises same-sex unions
Denmark became the first country in the world to legalise same-sex unions in 1989, and the first same-sex couple to officially tie the knot was life-long LGBTQ activist Axel and his partner Eigil. They said 'I do' at Copenhagen City Hall.
1996: First Copenhagen Pride
In the same year Copenhagen was the European Capital of Culture, the city hosted EuroPride. This became the start of the annual Copenhagen Pride parade (previously known as Mermaid Pride).
2009: The World OutGames in Copenhagen
Building on the success of the 2003 EuroGames in Copenhagen, the city hosted the World OutGames in 2009. The entire city was dressed in rainbow colours and more than 5,500 athletes from 98 countries participated in the event.
2012: Equal marriage was passed
It took a bit longer than necessary for Denmark to go from legalising same-sex unions to passing a bill allowing equal marriage for all. But in 2012 Denmark became the 12th country in the world to allow same-sex marriages.
2014-17: Better rights for trans people
Denmark became the first European country to allow trans people to have their legal gender changed without having to undergo any surgeries or hormone treatments.
This act was followed up in 2017 when Denmark became the first country in the world to depathologise trans people which recognised what the LGBTQ community (and the majoriy of the Danish population) had known for years: trans people are not mentally ill.
2021: WorldPride and EuroGames
In 2021, Copenhagen will host the first-ever joint WorldPride and EuroGames where there'll be hundreds of events happening through the 11-day festival. We'll also be celebrating five LGBTQ-related anniversaries, including the 25th anniversary for Copenhagen Pride.