Hilde Raastad, born 1960, is a theologian, activist and certified ski instructor. She holds a B.A. in physical geography and theology from the University of Oslo (Norway), a master’s degree in religion from Iliff School of Theology (Denver, Colorado) and a Cand.Theol. from the University of Oslo. She has taught downhill skiing in the Swiss Alps, worked at the National Headquarters of the Norwegian YWCA Girl Scouts/Guides and for 17 years, she was an ordained minister in the Norwegian Lutheran Church.
Hilde Raastad was the first out lesbian or gay to be ordained to ministry in the Norwegian Lutheran Church, which caused huge media attention and became part of the ongoing struggle for acceptance and equal rights for LGBTQ+ people in the church. She has been on the board of Open Church Group in Oslo and co-president of the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups. She attended her first Forum conference in 1992 and has since contributed extensively within the Forum network. As an activist, she has written and spoken about LGBTQ+ issues, as well as preached, in Norway and internationally.
She and her life partner, Julie Hass, divide their time between Boulder, Colorado and Oslo, Norway and run off to the mountains as often as possible.