NEWSFLASH! The Swedish church will perform samesex marriage as of Nov 1.

For you to understand how big this is I'll explain a bit of the Swedish church's role in our society.

Until quite recently it was the official church, the state sanctioned sect. It was founded in the 1500s when it was decided to scrap the pope and follow Martin Luther. For centuries it was the only church allowed in Sweden and it have almost always been a tool of those in power. Teaching the working classes to obedient to those that God had put above them. But this is not to be meant as a tirade against the church and religion so let's turn to gender and sex.

The Swedish church is the biggest we have, no other comes near it in number of members. Until very recently you became a member when you were born unless your parents asked that you shouldn't. And when you mention the the word church most Swedes think about the former state church. It's influence on politics and morals is unfortunately still very great.

Some good have to be said about it. The issue of samesex marriage have been on it's agenda for about fifty years. Not a bad track record for a Lutheran church of this size and its history of oppression.

The Swedish parliament decided that as of this spring marriage is not an exclusively hetero affair. The institutions that were already allowed to perform marriages would keep that privilege provided they also allowed samesex marriages. So the Swedish church's decision today is a kind of conversion under the gallows. If they hadn't made it they would have lost one of their main source of revenue. And the churches would be even more empty than they are now.

But even this old atheist and anarchist is influenced  by tradition and romantic images. Most Swedes are. So if I wish it were not so the fact is that it is a MAJOR thing for us.

My dream wedding is at a cemetery here in Stockholm, Skogskyrkogården.  I know it sounds weird but all will be explained in my third "Flash Forward. Watch this space for the next installment.

I might have got the details about all this slightly wrong but the main facts are accurate.

Love, hugs, kisses and lashes until next time
Caisa