Homokortti: How Queer Love Is Redefining Greeting Cards from Turku, Finland
Turku has a way of staying with you. As Finland’s oldest city, it carries centuries of history in its streets, its art, its food, its slow Nordic rhythm. But walk through Turku today and you’ll feel something else too — a quiet but powerful creative energy growing beneath the surface.
This city isn’t just honoring the past. It’s making space for the future.
And that future includes a new generation of queer entrepreneurs who are building businesses rooted in visibility, representation, and unapologetic authenticity.
One of those stories begins with a greeting card — and a very real absence.
When Representation Is Missing, You Feel It Everywhere
Homokortti was born from a moment many queer people know all too well.
Venla Saikku and Katariina Saikku, wives living in Turku, got married in 2024. As loved ones searched for a wedding card to celebrate them, they ran into a familiar wall: almost every option assumed a heterosexual couple.
No matter how joyful the occasion, the message felt incomplete.
“We heard from our loved ones that they had really struggled to find a wedding card for us that didn’t represent a male-female couple.”
That moment didn’t just sting — it clarified something.
If queer couples were still invisible in something as simple and universal as greeting cards, then something needed to change.
So Venla and Katariina decided to change it themselves.
Homokortti: A Passion Project with a Clear Purpose
©Homokortti
Homokortti — which translates to “the gay card” — launched in November 2025 with ten Christmas cards. Simple in concept, radical in impact.
The idea was never just about cards.
It was about seeing yourself reflected in everyday life.
“Most queer people didn’t even realize how much they needed to see themselves represented this way.”
The response to the launch was immediate and overwhelming. What started as a passion project quickly became a conversation.
Local love turned into national visibility:
An article in Turun Sanomat, Turku’s main newspaper
A feature on Huomenta Suomi (Good Morning Finland)
Growing traction on Instagram and TikTok, where queer communities found Homokortti organically
Today, Homokortti sells directly through homokortti.fi, and their cards are stocked in seven stores across Finland.
Not bad for an idea sparked by frustration — and fueled by love.
Designing for Queer Life, Not Just Queer Moments
What sets Homokortti apart is how deeply they listen to the community.
Later this month, they’re launching a Valentine’s Day collection — designed not only for queer couples, but also for friendships. In Finland, Valentine’s Day is also known as Friend’s Day, and Homokortti embraces that broader definition of love.
©Homokortti
The new collection includes:
Valentine’s cards for queer couples
Cards celebrating friendships
Stickers designed with inclusivity in mind
And the designs don’t stop there.
These cards double as:
Birthday cards
Wedding cards
Celebration cards for chosen family
“We are trying to listen to the community and provide cards that actually have a demand.”
That listening has already shaped future plans.
Requests for non-gendered cards for babies and children came almost immediately after launch — a clear sign that queer families are still navigating deeply gendered traditions.
Homokortti is paying attention.
Changing an Entire Industry, One Card at a Time
The long-term vision is ambitious — and necessary.
Homokortti wants their cards to be available wherever greeting cards are sold, permanently shifting how representation looks in this industry. Not as a niche. Not as a “special section.” But as the norm.
They also aim to collaborate with and hire more queer artists, expanding both creative opportunities and representation behind the scenes.
“Our hope is to permanently change the way we see representation in the greeting card business.”
It’s bold.
It’s practical.
And it’s exactly the kind of dreaming that leads to real change.
Why Stories Like Homokortti Matter
Visibility doesn’t always arrive through headlines or protests.
Sometimes it arrives through a card handed across a table.
Through an envelope opened with a smile.
Through the quiet relief of finally being seen — without explanation.
Homokortti reminds us that queer representation isn’t extra.
It’s essential.
And in a city like Turku — where history and future coexist — this story feels right at home.
FINAL CALL TO ACTION
If you want to discover more queer stories, creative projects, and voices shaping our communities worldwide:
👉 Visit queerlandmedia.com
👉 Find us via the link in our Instagram bio (bio.site)
And if you know a story, a project, or a piece of representation that deserves to be seen and told, we want to hear from you.
📩 Write to us at: hello@queerlandmedia.com
Because queer stories belong everywhere — even on a greeting card.
