Colorful Pride Week ahead! Finnish Design Shop is once again an official partner of Helsinki Pride
Finnish Design Shop is once again a proud Support Partner of Helsinki Pride. Illustration: Antti Kekki
THE MOST VIBRANT WEEK of the summer – when rainbow colors take over not only Helsinki but cities across the globe – will be celebrated this year from June 23–29, 2025. At the heart of Helsinki’s Pride Week is Saturday’s Pride Parade, expected to bring over 100,000 people to the streets in a powerful show of support for equal human rights.
The Helsinki Pride Community has been advocating for the rights of sexual and gender minorities since 1991. This year’s theme, Pride without Borders, brings visibility to the voices of LGBTQ+ people with migrant and refugee backgrounds.
Helsinki Pride Executive Director Annu Kemppainen says the LGBTQ+ community has always been diverse. The Together with Pride initiative has been running in Finland for ten years. Image: Jirina Alanko
Annu Kemppainen, Executive Director of Helsinki Pride Community, can you tell us about this year’s theme?
“Helsinki Pride’s 2025 theme is Pride without Borders. It’s timely because this year also marks the 10th anniversary of our year-round Together with Pride program, which supports LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants.
This anniversary year is about amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ migrants and highlighting the diversity within our community – a diversity that’s always been there. The theme couldn’t be more relevant: in recent years, it’s become clear that no human right is guaranteed or permanent. The pushback against the rights of sexual and gender minorities tends to hit the most vulnerable the hardest.”
Held at the end of June, Helsinki Pride Week is the largest human rights and cultural event in Finland. The photo shows the 2024 Pride Parade. Image: Meri Ketonen
What kind of work does Helsinki Pride do for LGBTQ+ migrants – and how has this evolved over the past ten years?
“In 2015, Finland saw a large number of asylum seekers and refugees arriving. It became clear very quickly that the services available at the time weren’t equipped to recognise or support asylum seekers who belong to sexual and gender minorities. Together with Pride was born as a direct response to this gap.
Today, the program offers a wide range of support to LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees. People come to us in many different situations, but they often share a need to process their identity and experiences of multiple layers of discrimination. Many are also looking for connection – for friendships and safe spaces where they can simply be. We meet these needs through peer support, counselling, guidance, group sessions, and advocacy work.
“People often share a need to process their identity and experiences of multiple layers of discrimination.”
This work is nationally unique. Right now, we have two full-time specialists working on Together with Pride, and the program has become a permanent part of our operations. Thanks to this dedicated team, we’ve also been able to extend our support to LGBTQ+ migrants who have already been granted residence permits.”
“Everyone deserves the right to love and be loved,” says Finnish Design Shop Managing Director Noora Tirkkonen.
FINNISH DESIGN SHOP is proud to continue as an official partner of Helsinki Pride for the sixth year in a row. As a Support Partner, a €10,000 donation is being made to help advance Helsinki Pride’s ongoing human rights work.
Noora Tirkkonen, Managing Director of Finnish Design Shop, why is it important to be a Support Partner of Helsinki Pride?
“For us, Pride is first and foremost a matter of human rights – and deeply aligned with our core values. Everyone deserves the right to love and be loved.
“We want to help build a society where people are free to live as their authentic selves.”
We want to help build a society where people are free to live as their authentic selves. Equality, inclusion, and Nordic values shape everything we do, so standing alongside Helsinki Pride year after year is a natural commitment.”
How does this commitment to equality show up in everyday life at Finnish Design Shop?
“For us, equality is something that’s reflected in concrete actions – in recruitment, in leadership, and in daily interactions. We’re committed to maintaining a workplace where everyone feels seen, respected, and valued for who they are. Diversity is a strength. We believe that the more diverse the community, the better the results we create together.”
Finnish Design Shop wishes everyone a proud, equal, and absolutely fabulous Pride Week!
See also:
• Sustainability at Finnish Design Shop >
Edit: Nora Uotila
Published on 23 Jun, 2025
