Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad (born 1949)

Translator's Note: This is a machine-assisted translation completed on May 28, 2025. While care has been taken to maintain accuracy, this translation has not yet undergone human review or validation.

Pirelli Benestad is perhaps Norway’s most well-known openly transgender person.

They first became active in FPE–Northern Europe (1979–80), and shortly thereafter participated in a research project with Berthold Grünfeld on heterosexual transvestites.

The first time they came out publicly as trans was on the TV2 program En anelse rødt.

In 2002, their son, film director Even Benestad, released the documentary All About My Father, a film that received significant attention both in Norway and internationally.

Pirelli Benestad has also been a prominent voice in public discourse and debate surrounding transgender issues. They have introduced terms such as “trans talent,” “trans-gifted person,” and “gender enthusiasm.”

In an excerpt from the interview, Pirelli Benestad discusses how they came up with the idea of reframing diagnosed syndromes within the field of gender and trans identities as different kinds of talents instead.

The full interview is available in our reading room. Skeivt Arkiv met Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad in Grimstad in February 2020.