Frida Perstrand, 39, was reportedly asked to leave her position as a children's leader at the Pentecostal church in Örnsköldsvik after publicly discussing her homosexuality in a podcast. According to Expressen, Perstrand participated in the "Regnbågspodden" podcast in September where she spoke about coming out later in life. One week later, she received a call from one of the church's pastors informing her she could no longer serve as a children's leader.
Perstrand, who grew up in the Pentecostal movement and had been active as a children's leader for several years, described the situation as "very sad." She told Expressen, "I thought the Pentecostal movement had come further." Perstrand believes the decision constitutes discrimination, while the church maintains it was due to a lack of trust.
Stefan Beimark, the head of Örnsköldsvik's Pentecostal congregation, declined to comment on the specific incident "out of care for the individual person." He has previously stated to Västerbottens-Kuriren that trust is based on a holistic assessment of a person and that everyone is welcome to the congregation regardless of ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Perstrand has now left the Pentecostal church but emphasizes she does not want to cause conflict. "I talk about this because I am sad and feel unfairly treated," she said. "I hope the Pentecostal church will take this issue seriously."