Finnish MP convicted for 'insulting' gays in 2004 pamphlet

Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen has been convicted and fined €1,800 for "insulting homosexuals" in a church pamphlet published in 2004. The Finnish Supreme Court ruled that the publication, titled 'Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity', constituted incitement against a group based on sexual orientation. In the pamphlet, Räsänen described homosexuality as a "developmental disorder".

Alongside Räsänen, Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola was also found guilty for his involvement in publishing the text, receiving a €1,100 fine. The court additionally ordered the defendants to remove the unlawful parts of the text from the internet. The ruling stated that the pamphlet insulted homosexuals as a group on the basis of their sexual orientation.

Räsänen, a medical doctor who served as Finland's interior minister from 2011 to 2015, was acquitted on a second charge related to a 2019 tweet criticizing the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for partnering with a gay pride parade. The politician expressed being "shocked and profoundly disappointed" by the verdict, announcing she will consult lawyers about a potential appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

The US-based Alliance Defending Freedom International, which represented Räsänen throughout the case, called the conviction "an outrageous example of state censorship". Räsänen argued that the case affects not only her freedom of expression but that of every person in Finland, and that a successful appeal could protect others from facing similar ordeals for expressing their beliefs.