Runar Sammol Myrnes Balto (born 1987)

Translator's Note: This is a machine-assisted translation completed on June 2, 2025. While care has been taken to maintain accuracy, this translation has not yet undergone human review or validation.

Myrnes Balto was elected in 2017, as one of the first three openly queer representatives in the Sámi Parliament.

In our interview, Myrnes Balto shares reflections on his upbringing in Oslo, Alta, Kautokeino, and Evenes. He became politically active at an early age and began working for the Norwegian Sámi Association in 2012.

An excerpt from the interview is available below, in which he discusses the widespread perception that being queer in Sámi communities is particularly difficult—while also emphasizing that this view is more nuanced than often portrayed.

Together with Mikkel Eskil Mikkelsen, he was named LGBTQ+ Person of the Year at the 2018 GayGalla.

The full interview is available in our reading room. We met with Runar Sammol Myrnes Balto in Tromsø, November 2018.