Norway has launched a four-minute advert called, 'When Harry meets Santa', in which a man writes a letter to Santa Clause saying, 'All I want for Christmas is you'. His wish is granted.
The marketing director behind the ad, Monica Solberg, said:
"We wanted to celebrate the 50-year anniversary since the abolition of a law prohibiting same-sex relationships. The magnitude of response took us a bit by surprise. We expected a reaction, but not to such an extent."
Not everyone in Norway was pleased to see the particular ad, but what's important is that the ad itself managed to engage people in discussion.
A survey conducted in the UK found that a significant portion of the population sees gay Santa Clause as 'unacceptable'. However, there is a diversion of this view among age groups. People in Norway on the other hand, found the story portrayed in the ad to be heartwarming.
Homosexuality in Norway was a criminal offence until 1972. The legislation however changed after Kim Friele engaged heavily in campaigning for changes in the same-sex law, which then effectively allowed for same-sex marriage.
Friele's fight against discrimination of same-sex couples was seen so important that, upon her death at the age of 86, she was honoured with a state funeral overseen by the country's royal family.
She said:
"We would lecture them, we would tell them about our lives. We would not sit there and listen to all their textbook lessons. I would explain what kind of people we are."
[Based on reporting by: BBC]
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