Call for participants
Are you an LGBTQ+ person living in a Nordic country? Have you ever felt lonely? Would you like to participate in a study on loneliness among LGBTQ+ people in Nordic countries? Read more below!
What is the research about?
“Queer(ing) Loneliness in the Nordic Region” is a research project investigating the experiences of loneliness among LGBTQ+ people in the Nordic region, both historically and today. This call for participants is looking for people who would like to share their own experiences of loneliness.
The aim of the project is to diversify the perceptions of loneliness and to gain a broad understanding of the history and present of Nordic queer loneliness. In addition to personal experiences, the study will investigate the community-building efforts of LGBTQ+ organisations/activist groups and explore archival materials. The project is conducted by Dr. Varpu Alasuutari at the University of Turku (Finland) and funded by the Kone Foundation (2024–2028).
For more information about the project and how it uses personal data, please download the Information Leaflet and the Privacy Notice. You may also print out the documents.
Who can participate?
You can take part in the study if you are over 18 years old, belong to a sexual or gender minority, have experienced loneliness sometimes in your life, and live (or have lived before) in one of the Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland).
Please note that even though “queer loneliness” is used as a research term in this project, you do not have to identify specifically as queer in order to participate! Everybody under the broad LGBTIQ+ spectrum can participate.
When and where can I participate?
The call for participation was actively advertised from May to September 2025. During this period, the project received 130 responses in total. There are responses from every Nordic country.
If you are reading this later and still want to participate, don’t worry: it is still possible! You can participate using the online form linked above and below. The form is available in English, Finnish and Swedish – you can switch the language from the upper right corner.
The online form is made with REDCap, a secure web platform, suitable for collecting sensitive information. The form can be filled using either a smartphone or a computer, but it might work better with a computer.
How to participate?
You can participate in the study by writing a text about loneliness or by sending photographs about loneliness – or you can do both.
No names or contact details are collected from the participants. Please also avoid identifying information in your writing and, if possible, in your photographs.
Participation is one-off. The duration of your participation depends on the extent to which you want to share your experiences and whether you include photos. The estimated time to respond varies from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
1) Write about loneliness
You can write your text either in English, Finnish, or Swedish. To support your writing, you can use the following questions:
When and where have you experienced loneliness?
What does loneliness feel like?
What makes you feel lonely?
What helps you with loneliness?
Is there something LGBTQ+-specific in your experiences of loneliness?
Is loneliness the same as being alone?
Can there be something positive about being on your own?
However, your writing does not have to be limited to these questions – you can write freely on the subject.
2) Send photos about loneliness
Sometimes it can be hard to describe loneliness with words. Instead, you can describe it visually with photographs.
You can send max 3 photographs. For example, the photos can depict objects or places related to loneliness. The photos must be taken by you. If your photos include people, you must have their permission to send the photo.
Photos that don’t have recognizable elements can be published in research publications.
If you send photos of recognizable people (e.g. facial photos), those won’t be published in the study as they are. Instead, my artist collaborator will make drawings based on recognizable photos, making them less recognizable in the process. These drawings will then be used in research publications.
How will the results of the study be published?
Two books will be written to report the results: a scientific monograph in English and a creative non-fiction book in Finnish. There may also be blog posts and scientific articles about the topic in Finnish and English. Blog posts for wider audience may also be translated into other Nordic languages. In addition, there will be conference presentations and lectures in Finnish and English.
You may follow the project on Instagram via @queer.loneliness account.
Who conducts the research?
My name is Varpu Alasuutari and I am a Finnish researcher from the University of Turku, Finland. I have a PhD in gender studies and I have specialized in queer studies and trans studies. My dissertation explored LGBTQ+ people’s experiences of death and grief. I have also studied e.g. queer friendship and the history of queer activism in Finland.
You can contact me at varpu.alasuutari@utu.fi if you would like to know more about me or my research.
Who has made the amazing art for this project?
The artist is Siiri Viljakka, a Finnish comic artist. You will see Siiri’s art not only on this website, but also on this project’s flyer and Instagram account. Siiri will collaborate with me also in future, making drawings based on the photographic data.
queerloneliness.com 