Graphic example of new stadium
A new sports stadium being built in the Swedish city of Uppsala is hoping to win LGBTI-accreditation when it is completed.
Uppsala is a student town based 70 kilometres north of country’s capital, Stockholm.
A key element will be that all staff at the Studenternas stadium will be trained in LGBTI issues in order to create a welcoming environment at the venue, TheLocal.se reported.
Moreover, the centre’s facilities will also be designed to be as inclusive as possible, the online newspaper reported.
Uppsala arena set to equalize LGBTI facilities.
Toilets, dressing rooms will be adapted at new centre
In order to receive the LGBTI certification, all toilets and dressing rooms will be adapted so that there are accessible options for all athletes and spectators, regardless of their gender identity, including gender neutral toilets, where possible, TheLocal wrote.
‘Uppsala municipality aims to be open and inclusive, where everyone has the same rights and possibilities,’ Danne Eriksson, the municipality’s marketing director for sport and leisure, told The Local.
‘We want to guarantee equal treatment in all areas, regardless of gender, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation’, he added.
The arena will be used for a range of events including a mix of sports and music and entertainment. It is expected to be completed by 2020.
Certification of the stadium is likely to push Sweden up the ranks of the world’s most LGBTI-friendly countries. Same-sex activity there was legalized in 1944 and the age of consent was equalized in 1972.
In 2015 the country got its first LGBTI-certified swimming pool.
