From criminal radicalism to gay and lesbian lobbyism: a transnational approach to the Scandinavian homophile movement, 1948–1971

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article describes and analyzes the development of the three Scandinavian national associations for homo- and bisexuals from their founding in 1948 through 1971. This is the first time these associations are analysed as a transnational network rather than nationally divided entities. Using documentary evidence from the national archives of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden as well as other archives, this article establishes the development of the Scandinavian movement based on primary evidence, and is thus able to correct, nuance, and expand upon the ‘oral traditions’ that have been the standard in Scandinavian historiography in this field. The article argues that the transnational angle on the movement brings out new perspectives and offers a new periodization of homophile or gay and lesbian activist history. It concludes that the Scandinavian movements cannot be fitted into the typical American timeline of gay and lesbian activism, and thus opens the question of how European LGBT history differs from those in the United States.