Gays in Denmark get own cemetery space

Here's one of those stories that makes your eyes roll with the sheer inanity of it all.

Homosexuals have been designated an area in a Copenhagen cemetery for those who want to be buried among people who shared their sexual orientation, one of the project initiators says.

"We founded an association called Regnbuen (Rainbow) and our goal is that gays and lesbians can be buried next to each other," Ivan Larsen told AFP.

The association has rented spots that can hold up to a total of 45 urns at Assistens cemetery. Each space costs 2,500 kroner (335 euros, 526 dollars).

The cemetery already hosts figures as diverse as the Danish fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen and the philosopher Soeren Kierkegaard.

The area the group has booked is separated from the rest of the cemetery by a large triangle of pebbles on the ground, with a massive rock placed on one of the angles.

"The triangle is our old symbol, but it is also a sign of suffering," Larsen said, recalling that the Nazis forced homosexuals to wear a pink triangle.

The rainbow flag, a universal symbol for homosexuals representing diversity, will be placed on the rock, he added.

"We don't want to isolate ourselves but we also feel a need to be together. We see this as a family grave, one that will be taken care of by our family," said Larsen.

Meanwhile, Danish accounts are picketing outside parliament for the right to be buried together. "Why are we not allowed to have our own cemetery space?" asked Danish Accountants for Fairness leader, Lars Numbernein. "All of our lives we've been discriminated against because of our lack of sense of humour and appalling dress sense. We too want the camaraderie of being buried together with people who love and appreciate tax returns, expense claim forms and all things actuarial."

Not to be outdone, supporters of perennial Danish Superliga winners F.C. Copenhagen are also lobbying for thier own cemetery space. Speaking to News of Denmark, F.C. Copenhagen's number one ticket holder Lars Larsen said, "Who else would we want to be buried with than people who gave their heart and soul to the great club F.C. Copenhagen? We buried our opponents with avalanches of goals and now we want to be buried together."

Concerned that they might miss out, the Danish Fans of Star Wars Club jumped on the bandwagon with spokeswookie Lars Lucas stating...

The whole thing is completely ridiculous. Why Denmark's gay community thinks there's any merit to having its own cemetery space is beyond me.

(Nothing Follows)