Juho Rukkila on Queer Love, Grief, and Writing Homot eivät pääse taivaaseen

Some conversations don’t feel like interviews. They feel like sitting down at a quiet café, coffee slowly cooling, while someone opens their life with honesty and zero rush.

©GLEB SOLO

That’s exactly how talking with Juho Rukkila feels.

Juho is a 46-year-old Finnish writer from Helsinki, now living in Barcelona, who carries many lives inside one: former cabin crew member, florist, entrepreneur, husband, cat parent, and now—author. His debut novel, Homot eivät pääse taivaaseen (Gays Don’t Go to Heaven), arrives in early 2026, and it’s already clear this is not just a book—it’s a reckoning.

From the Skies to the Page

Before writing novels, Juho spent 17 years as cabin crew, a job that didn’t just shape his worldview—it shaped his life.

It was during a layover in Phuket, Thailand, that he met the man who would become his husband.
What began as a random hookup quietly turned into a lifelong adventure.

“A random little hookup became a lifetime adventure.”

They’ve been married for almost 11 years, and their story carries the kind of tenderness that only time, loss, and devotion can produce.

Originally trained as a gardener and florist, Juho also co-founded a small creative startup with his husband, designing and selling socks under the name KöfKöf. Later, they made a bold move—leaving Finland behind for a simpler, sunnier life in Barcelona, Catalunya.

Today, they share their home with two Oriental cats:
Mr. Bey (named after the Turkish word for “Mr.”) and Ms. Bette, a tribute to Juho’s lifelong admiration for Bette Davis.

Why This Book Had to Be Written

Juho has always written—for himself, quietly, without pressure.
But when he left Finland, something shifted.

After dedicating years to a career he loved, he felt displaced. Writing became a way back to himself.

That’s when he returned to a novel he had started years earlier—and finished it with brutal honesty.

About Gays Don’t Go to Heaven

©Calidris Kustannus Oy

Homot eivät pääse taivaaseen (Gays Don’t Go to Heaven, Calidris Kustannus, 2026) tells the story of a man who loses his husband to aggressive cancer.

Grief doesn’t arrive alone.

He also loses his job.
He destroys his finances.
He comes frighteningly close to homelessness.

Life feels finished—until something unexpected happens.

The story takes an emotional turn that leads him to Istanbul, Turkey, where grief, memory, love, and survival collide.

“It is a deeply personal story where I try to solve the mystery of life and eternal love.”

Based on real-life events blended with fiction, the novel doesn’t promise answers—but it offers courage.

Juho doesn’t claim to have solved the mystery of life or love.
What he did find was peace with the unknown.

Queer Love, Grief, and Visibility

In Juho Rukkila’s view, many of our deepest struggles begin the moment we become afraid to show who we truly are. That fear is often strongest when we are young—still trying to understand our sexuality, our place in the world, and what it means to exist authentically. Sometimes it takes only a glance, a gesture, or the way we speak to feel exposed, especially around family members or people who may react with judgment or hostility toward queer identities.

©Elisa K Photopraphy

Living under constant self-surveillance is exhausting. It wears you down quietly, day after day, and it is one of the reasons so many queer people end up battling deeply personal challenges such as mental health struggles or addiction. When you are forced to hide parts of yourself, the cost is never small.

This fear also shapes the way we love. It influences how we enter relationships, how we stay in them, and how we grieve when we lose someone. When love, pain, or grief are pushed down and left unspoken, the consequences can be serious and long-lasting. With time, many of us learn to care less about the opinions of others—but by then, the damage may already be done. Healing is possible, but it often requires time, courage, and professional support.

That is why Juho is clear: attitudes must change, permanently. Human rights should never be up for debate. The fight for equality is far from over, and solidarity matters more than ever—especially when it comes to standing up for our trans sisters and brothers, who continue to face open discrimination, violence, and hate simply for existing.

Book Release & Launch Details

📖 Book title: Homot eivät pääse taivaaseen (Gays Don’t Go to Heaven)
🗓 Official release: January 30, 2026
🎉 Book launch: February 20, 2026
📍 Location: Oodi Library, Helsinki
⏰ Time: 17:00–18:00

🛒 Available at:

• Akateeminen

• Suomalainen

• Prisma

• Booky

• Adlibris (online)

What’s Next for Juho

Juho is already working on his next book—a queer sci-fi comedy, blending humor, imagination, and identity in ways that feel unmistakably his.

And if this debut tells us anything, it’s that Juho Rukkila is just getting started.

Final Words

Homot eivät pääse taivaaseen (Gays Don’t Go to Heaven) is not about despair. It’s about survival. About queer love that refuses to disappear.
About finding meaning even when answers don’t exist.

And maybe that’s the most honest story of all.

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