Creating Their Own Private and Public

Abstract

SUMMARY In this article I describe the male homosexual life space in a Nordic city during the decades around the Second World War. It consisted almost entirely of outdoor places such as parks, public conveniences, and streets. It included, in Delph's (1978) words, not only erotic, but also cultural and social oases, fostering an extensive and varied social life and a growing community. Most of this outdoor space was invisible to those other than the participants. It had its own differentiation of, and meanings for, “public” and “private.” A poor economy, overcrowding, and the classical modern city helped shape the location and design of the male homosexual life space, as did the participation of many men who did not look upon themselves as “homosexual.” During this period, and especially after the Second World War, this life space began to change in a direction pointing towards that of today, that is, towards less outdoor life and more life in homes and semipublic indoor spaces. Better economy, the rise of the welfare state, and diminished overcrowding furthered this movement. Among other things, these changes stimulated the withdrawal of men who did not see themselves as “homosexual.” The transformation of the city into the spread out, suburbanized city, with segregation of various functions, contributed to the development, as did the obstruction of parks and toilets as meeting places by public authorities. The law reform of 1944, which decriminalized homosexual erotic acts between adults, was also of importance.