November 1st, 2011
There are few opportunities to be first at anything. And even fewer to be first at a truly revolutionary social declaration that would ultimately come to receive sanction in nearly all of Western Europe, much of the Americas, and which is growing to become the accepted minimum of civilized nations.
But Axel Axgil and Eigel Axgil were first.
In 1989, they were the first couple in the world to receive official state-sanctioned recognition under Denmark’s new Registered Partnership Law. This honor was in recognition of the decades long campaign for rights that the two had made their life’s work. Axel is credited for being the founder of the Danish gay rights movement in 1948.
Eigel passed away in 1995 and Axel left us on Saturday. In tribute, let’s consider the words of advice he gave in 1989:
“Be open. Come out. Keep fighting. This is the only way to move anything. If everyone comes out of the closet then this will happen everywhere.”
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Hélder António
November 1st, 2011
Eigil Axgil passed away in 1995;
Axel Axgil died Saturday, October 29.
http://fougueusefugue.blogspot.com/2011/10/axel-axgil-1915-2011.html
Timothy Kincaid
November 1st, 2011
Thanks, Hélder, I’ve corrected the commentary.
Lightning Baltimore
November 2nd, 2011
I wonder if NOM will come out swinging on this one? For goodness sake, their Registered Partnership lasted only six years? Yet more proof that homosexuals cannot maintain long term relationships! The fact that one of them died is unimportant.
Jim Hlavac
November 2nd, 2011
In our quest to come out everywhere, as this man suggested, it has always amazed me that few notice that the Gay Pride marches that now encompass the globe are the largest sustained series of political protest marches the world has ever seen. With millions of participants on every continent and growing; and all very grass roots, with no worldwide organizing committee, nor much in the way of press coverage, either. 40 years since one tiny riot in NYC, it has now spread to over 1000 annual peaceful, even festive, protests against political and social oppression in a 100 countries; more to come. Quite an amazing feat, eh? Precisely because we keep coming out. And the world has gotten so much better for us it is astounding, exactly as Mr. Axgil predicted. And all we do is demand the right to smooch in peace.
I dare say, some other protest movements might learn from us, and they figure out how we do it, for we have done far more to change the world than any other political protest could hope to imagine, ya think?
Timothy Kincaid
November 2nd, 2011
Jim,
Absolutely spot on! The world is a very different place in such a tiny amount of time.
BlackDog
November 2nd, 2011
It’s always sad when someone dies, it’s the end of an era when any person who blazed the trail for others dies.
Barely knew a thing about the guy, none the less, I feel he deserves respect.
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