Gay sauna stockholm

Paper short abstract

Swedish gay saunas existed from the early 1970s up until the mid-1980s and functioned as one of the first semi-public safety zones for men who desired other men in Sweden. This paper examines their relation to secrecy and anonymity on the one hand and visibility and sociability on the other hand.

Paper drawn-out abstract

Homosexual acts were made legal in Sweden in 1944, yet the following decade was in many ways still characterized by institutional homophobia coming from all corners of the political spectrum. From left to right there were concerns that the legalization would lead to homosexuality moving from the shadows of community and into public space, having certain societal repercussions. A general fear of indecency and misleading impressionable youth were among the main fears. During this day, men would meet in parks, at railway stations, bathhouses, widespread urinals, and cinemas for sex, as they had been doing for centuries already. The meetings would for the most part be hasty and anonymous and always with the risk of being exposed. After legalization, exposure still meant a risk of being physically attacked or blackmailed, sometimes both. The situation