Ms. Korhonen says she was sacked for living with a woman, Yle News reports. The dismissal has triggered heated reactions all over the country. President Tarja Halonen says she was startled to hear of the decision to sack Korhonen. Ms. Halonen is a former chair of the Finnish Sexual Equality Association (SETA). The scandal was been further aggravated by a newspaper comment from former chief editor of the daily, Heikki Tuomi-Nikula, who believes that a homosexual person is not suited for the editorial responsibilities. “[…] if we’re talking about someone who is representing Lapin Kansa, it’s an issue of representing the region and not just the paper. If this person is in a same-sex relationship, then everything she writes would be viewed against the backdrop of her personal life. As a publisher, I would think twice about hiring such a person for the post,” said Tuomi-Nikula. Lapin Kansa is the biggest newspaper in northern Finland. It is owned by the Alma Media company.
