«From Faceless Villain to Visible Hero» by Anders Gjesvik
In the 1950s, the gay man was portrayed in the papers as a pervert who seduced the youth to become gay. The women were overlooked. This presentation is about how the gays in the media evolved from villain to victim and ultimately hero, and how gays in the newspapers today struggle between themselves to define what it is to be gay.
«Masks and Resistance» by Hans Wiggo Kristiansen
Based on a large number of interviews and searches in historical archives, this presentation deals with how gays and lesbians still managed to create liveable lives in Norway during the decades around World War II - through, among other things, discretion, networks and what can be called masked resistance.
Dialogue between the speakers and the audience
About the speakers
Anders Gjesvik is a lecturer in journalism at OsloMet and researches how gays are presented in the media.
Hans Wiggo Kristiansen is a social anthropologist and has written a doctoral degree based on older homo- and bisexual men's life stories. He has also written the book «Masks and Resistance – Discreet Gay Life in Norway 1920-1970» (Masker og motstand – Diskré homoliv i Norge 1920-1970) which, among other things, deals with the beginning of gay organisation in Norway in the 1950s and 1960s.
Moderator
Turid Eikvam (skeivtarkiv.no) (Norwegian), activist, long-time member of the editorial board in the journal Løvetann and primusmotor for network for research on homosexuality and former office manager at UiO