Axel and Eigil Axgil

Eigil Axgil
Eigil Axgil
Born	Eigil Eskildsen; 24 April 1922
Died	22 September 1995 (aged 73)

Axel Axgil
Axel Axgil
	Eigil and Axel Axgil in 1950
Born	Axel Lundahl-Madsen; 3 April 1915
Died	29 October 2011 (aged 96)

Axel Axgil (3 April 1915 – 29 October 2011) and Eigil Axgil (24 April 1922 – 22 September 1995) were Danish gay activists and a longtime couple. They were the first gay couple in the world to enter into a registered partnership following Denmark's legalisation of same-sex partnership registration in 1989, a landmark legislation which they brought about. They adopted the surname, Axgil, a combination of their given names, as an expression of their commitment.

Biography

Axel, born Axel Lundahl-Madsen, and Eigil, born Eigil Eskildsen, inspired by the 1948 UN Declaration of Human Rights, together with friends, founded F-48 or Forbundet af 1948 (The Association of 1948), Denmark's first gay rights organization.^[1] By 1951, membership had grown to 1,339 with branches in Sweden and Norway. In 1985, F-48 became the Danish National Association of Gays and Lesbians (Landsforeningen for Bøsser og Lesbiske, Forbundet af 1948 or LBL). The couple launched a magazine, Vennen (The Friend).

In 1989, Denmark became the first nation to recognize registered partnerships for same-sex couples, nearly equal to opposite-sex marriage. On 1 October 1989, the Axgils and 10 other Danish couples were married by Tom Ahlberg, deputy mayor of Copenhagen, in the city hall.^[1] The Axgils had been a couple for 40 years. In 2013, Axel Axgil was named by Equality Forum as one of 31 icons of the LGBT History Month.^[2] LGBT Denmark's annual awards show, Danish Rainbow Awards – AXGIL, is named after them.

In 2012, it was revealed that in the midst of Germany's occupation of Denmark during World War II, Eigil had enlisted in the Waffen-SS in 1943 and served with them until the end of the war.^[3] Eigil Axgil was subsequently prosecuted for his Waffen-SS membership after the war but managed to keep it mostly to himself until Axel Axgil, rather reluctantly, confirmed it in his biography which was released in 2012. The revelation thus sparked turmoil and controversy because of the Axgils' contribution to the Danish LGBT community, and calls were made for LGBT Denmark to strike their surname from the "Danish Rainbow Awards – AXGIL".^[4]

Deaths

Eigil Axgil died on 22 September 1995 at the age of 73.^[1] Axel Axgil died on 29 October 2011 at the age of 96.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Eigil Axgil, Danish Gay Leader, 71". The New York Times. 28 September 1995. p. D22. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
^ "LGBT History Month 2013 Icons Announced – Equality Forum". equalityforum.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
^ "Homo-ikon bar på en pinlig hemmelighed" (in Danish). 4 October 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
^ "Dansk homokämpe var med i Waffen-SS under kriget" (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 November 2019.
^ Marcus Williamson (3 November 2011). "Axel Axgil: Gay activist who pioneered civil partnerships". The Independent. Retrieved 3 November 2011.

Kaj Erik Nielsen (2008). "Da Kinsey-rapporten kom til Danmark 1948". zaurits-bureau (in Danish). Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
Rex Wockner (21 June 2007). "World's First Gay Marriage". The Stranger. Retrieved 17 August 2008.