Lesbian Couple Saved 40 Teenagers on Utoya Day of Shootings
Almost two weeks after the gruesome attacks that killed 77 people in the “lone wolf” terror attacks that shocked the world, a story has surfaced about a lesbian couple who saved the lives of 40 teenagers on the small island of Utoya.
On Friday July 22, 2011 Hege Dalen and Toril Hansen were having dinner on Utoya Island when they heard gun shots and screams that prompted them to jump into their small boat and cross the lake to see what was going on.
In response to the massacre, the two women grabbed as many teenagers as they could out of the water, pulled them into their small boat, and brought them to safety on the other side of the lake.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The couple made a total of four round trips across the lake while their boat was being shot at by madman Anders Behring Breivik.
The women risked their lives to save others in the worst attack seen on Norwegian soil since WWII, and some are now asking why the story has not previously made it to mainstream media outlets.
The story was not covered by any major media outlets, although one Finnish paper has covered it, but the story has mostly made it to specialist blogs and twitter.
Some critics argue that the reasons we haven't heard about the bravery of Dalen and Hansen is because they do not fit into the traditional narrative of heroism, one that likes to focus on males as protectors.
They also argue that we have not heard about the women because of their sexual orientation and marital status, as the women that rescued the 40 teenagers on Utoya Island are a married lesbian couple.
However, others argue that a more likely explanation is that the couple did not speak to media in the days following the attack.
One Oslo-based journalist, Bar Stenvik, argued that the women had likely been panic stricken and had not sought out media attention.
The journalist stated, "One of the remarkable aspects of this incident has been that there are so many stories to be told, with so many victims and witnesses."
However, whatever the reason behind the lack of attention for the displayed heroism, most critics seem to agree that telling the world about any of the unsung heroes of the massacre is better late than never.
