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LGBTQ history in Sweden (Swedish: HBTQ-historia) involves the contributions, experiences, and social movements of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in Sweden.

17th–18th centuries

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Cases of homosexuality were handled by Church courts until 1608, when the first secular anti-sodomy law was introduced via a 1608 legal appendix by Charles IX.[1] It prescribed the death penalty for both parties, supported by Leviticus 20:13.[2][3]

The Civil Code of 1734 did not mention homosexuality. Jonas Liliequist, a history professor at Umeå University, argued that this was due to "a shift in policy from deterrence to a policy of silence."[4]

19th century

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In 1864, Sweden introduced a new penal code which went into effect in 1865.[5] In many ways the code was significantly more liberal than those from 1734 and 1779, as it banned extreme punishments such as death by torture and introduced the concept that punishments should be proportional to the crime.[6][7] However it also criminalized homosexual sex acts. "Fornication against nature" was categorized with bestiality. Both could be penalized with up to two years of hard labor.[8]

20th century

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Decriminalization

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Decriminalization of same-sex sexual activity in Sweden was first formally raised by Vilhelm Lundstedt in 1933, when he introduced a private motion to members of the Riksdag that argued for the removal of "fornication against nature" (Swedish: otukt mot naturen) from the criminal code.[9] He suggested same-sex relations should be regulated similarly to heterosexual ones, with no restriction for consenting adults and provisions to prevent exploitation of vulnerable groups. The motion was rejected, but the Ministry of Justice referred the motion to the National Swedish Board of Health for consideration.[10]

Although formally criminalized since 1864, convictions for same-sex activity were rare until the mid-1930s. Between 1935–1944, 753 men were convicted, representing 1.19 convictions per 100,000 people. Very few women were ever convicted using the statute.[11]

Sex between consenting adults of the same sex was ultimately decriminalized in 1944.[12]

Social stigma and moral panic

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Although no longer illegal, the age of consent remained higher for same-sex activity than for heterosexual and it was still considered to be a mental disorder.[13] Possible treatments for homosexuality included therapy, hypnosis, electroshock, and medications.[14]

Sjödén article

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On 8 March 1950, Birger Sjödén, a reform school principal, published "The Homosexual Prostitution" (Swedish: Den homosexuella prostitutionen) in Dagens Nyheter.[15] In the article, he wrote that many imprisoned boys he had met were exploited or coerced into prostitution by homosexual men. Sjödén argued this was a direct result of decriminalization and increased societal permissiveness.[16] The publication was characteristic of concerns about homosexual predation that were common in Sweden during the 1950s. In response to the moral panic, the governor of Stockholm created the Hagander Committee, which authorized police investigation into gay culture and surveillance of meeting places, with a focus on urinals, parks, and bathhouses.[17]

Kejne affair

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Main article: Kejne affair

Hajiby affair

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Main article: Haijby affair

RFSL

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Main article: Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights

The first homosexual organization in Sweden was founded at a meeting in Solna on 21 October 1950 as a branch of the Association of 1948 (Danish: Forbundet af 1948). Allan Hellman [sv], an engineer from Lysekil, was one of the first people to openly identify himself as a homosexual in the media, had organized the gathering.[18] There were 35 men and one woman in attendance.[19] In 1952, the group split off from the Danish group and assumed its own name, the National Federation for Sexual Equality (Swedish: Riksförbundet för sexuellt likaberättigande), or the RFSL.[20] Discretion and secrecy were considered paramount. People used pseudonyms and had to be recommended by existing members to join.[21] RFSL initially focused on organizing social activities for gay men and women to combat the effects of societal isolation.[22]

Gay liberation

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Main article: Gay liberation

In response to the Stonewall rebellion in 1969, the RFSL became more engaged with the gay liberation movement, and worked to increase their political activity and public visibility.[23] The first pride demonstration in Europe was held in Örebro on 15 May 1971 by the Gay Power Club. There were approximately 16 participants, carrying signs advocating for equality for homosexuals and bisexuals.[24][25] Vanja Södergren, who attended and helped plan the event, described it as silent.[26][27]

On 29 August 1979, the RFSL organized a sit-in at the National Board of Health and Welfare to coincide with their Liberation Week. Around 40 people gathered in the main stairwell of the agency's office with banners and began chanting. The police were called, but before there could be any intervention Barbro Westerholm, then the Minister for Health and Social Affairs, met with the activists. With her support, homosexuality and bisexuality were soon declassified as mental diseases.[28][29]

The first openly homosexual person elected to the Riksdag was Kent Carlsson, a gay Social Democrat, in 1991.[30][31]

In the 1980s and 1990s, multiple gay men were murdered in alleged hate crimes. A notable case was that of ice hockey player Peter Karlsson, who was walking home in Västerås in 1995 when he was attacked by a 19-year old man with ties to a neo-Nazi skinhead group. The assailant claimed a gay panic defense and was sentenced to eight years for manslaughter. Critics felt the brutality of the crime (Karlsson was stabbed 64 times) and the anti-gay literature found in the perpetrator's home was not given sufficient consideration in sentencing.[32]

In 1995, Sweden became the third country in the world to introduce registered partnerships for same-sex couples, after Denmark and Norway.[33]

21st century

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The first openly lesbian woman in the Riksdag was Elisebeht Markström of the Social Democrats. Elected in 1995, she confirmed her sexuality in a 2006 interview with QX.[34][35]

Same-sex marriage

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Main article: Same-sex marriage in Sweden

Same-sex marriage was legalized on 1 May 2009, following the adoption of a gender-neutral marriage law by the Riksdag on 1 April of the same year.[36] Sweden was the second in Scandinavia, the fifth in Europe, and the seventh in the world to open marriage to same-sex couples nationwide. On 22 October 2009, the governing board of the Church of Sweden voted to allow its priests to wed same-sex couples in church ceremonies.[37] Priests who did not want to perform same-sex marriages would be permitted to refuse, although substitutions had to be found.[38]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Malcolm, Noel (2024). Forbidden Desire in Early Modern Europe: Male-male Sexual Relations, 1400-1750. Oxford University Press. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-19-888633-4.
  2. ^ Roelens, Jonas (6 February 2024). Citizens and Sodomites: Persecution and Perception of Sodomy in the Southern Low Countries (1400–1700). BRILL. p. 37. ISBN 978-90-04-68617-5.
  3. ^ Leofstreom, Jan (4 February 2014). Scandinavian Homosexualities: Essays on Gay and Lesbian Studies. Routledge. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-317-95757-7.
  4. ^ Liliequist, J. (1998). "State policy, popular discourse, and the silence on homosexual acts in early modern Sweden". Journal of Homosexuality. 35 (3–4): 15–52. doi:10.1300/J082v35n03_02. ISSN 0091-8369. PMID 9638557.
  5. ^ Nelson, A. (21 May 2009). "Swedish and Foreign Crimes in the Swedish Criminal Justice System". Netherlands International Law Review. 34 (3): 343–366. doi:10.1017/S0165070X00010366. ISSN 1741-6191.
  6. ^ Kinberg, Olof (1933). "Criminal policy in Sweden during the last fifty years". Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 24 (1).
  7. ^ "The Swedish Penal Code of 1965". Duke Law Journal. 17 (1): 71. 1968.
  8. ^ Rydström, Jens (15 November 2003). Sinners and Citizens: Bestiality and Homosexuality in Sweden, 1880-1950. University of Chicago Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-226-73257-2.
  9. ^ Sundell, Jan-Olof (2005). "Vilhelm Lundstedt – a Biographical Sketch" (PDF). Scandinavian Studies in Law. 48.
  10. ^ Bendz, Erik (1944). "Homosexualitetens Straffrättsliga Behandling" [Criminal treatment of homosexuality]. Svensk Juristtidning (in Swedish). 1: 559–563.
  11. ^ Rydström, Jens; Mustola, Kati (2007). Criminally Queer: Homosexuality and Criminal Law in Scandinavia, 1842-1999. Aksant. pp. 24, 27. ISBN 978-90-5260-245-5.
  12. ^ "Where is it illegal to be gay?". BBC News. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  13. ^ Baaz, Mikael; Lilja, Mona (3 July 2022). "I Felt a Little Homosexual Today, So I Called in Sick: The Formation of "Reverse Discourse" by Swedish Gay Activists in the 1970s". Global Society. 36 (3): 330–346. doi:10.1080/13600826.2022.2052025. ISSN 1360-0826.
  14. ^ Stiernstedt, Jenny (28 July 2016). "Parad med stolt historia" [Parade with a proud history]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1944: Homosexualitet blir lagligt, men anses fortfarande vara en sjukdom. Terapi, hypnos, elchocker och droger hörde till det som användes som "bot". [1944: Homosexuality becomes legal, but is still considered an illness. Therapy, hypnosis, electric shocks and drugs were among the things used as a “cure”.]
  15. ^ Gjesvik, Anders (22 June 2018). "Import av svenske skurker Svenske avisers betydning for fremstillingen av homoseksuelle i norske aviser 1950-1952" [Import of Swedish villains. The importance of Swedish newspapers for the portrayal of homosexuals in Norwegian newspapers 1950-1952]. Mediehistorisk tidsskrift (in Norwegian Bokmål): 98. ISSN 2464-4277.
  16. ^ Pinto, Andrés Brink; Karlsson, Mikael Mery; Schmitt, Irina; Edelberg, Peter; Chowdhury, Matilda Svensson; Gustafsson, Tommy; Rosenberg, Tiina; Fundberg, Jesper; Liinason, Mia (11 October 2022). Kritiska blickar från marginalen: Reflektioner i spåren av Jens Rydström [Critical views from the margins. Reflections in the footsteps of Jens Rydström] (in Swedish). Open Books at Lund University. doi:10.37852/oblu.155.c208. ISBN 978-91-8039-293-8.
  17. ^ Brink Pinto, Andrés (3 July 2022). "Panopticon in the Urinal? the Stockholm homo-sex Commission C. 1950–1965". NORA - Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research. 30 (3): 180–193. doi:10.1080/08038740.2022.2071336. ISSN 0803-8740.
  18. ^ Petersson, Stig-Åke (2000). "En svensk homorörelse växer fram: RFSL 1950–2000". In Andreasson, Martin (ed.). Homo i folkhemmet: homo- och bisexuella i Sverige 1950-2000 [A Swedish gay movement emerges: RFSL 1950–2000] (in Swedish). Anamma. pp. 11–35. ISBN 978-91-87894-96-1.
  19. ^ "QX Gayskola – lektion 51: "RFSL startar – en egen organisation där målgruppen var homosexuella"" [QX Gay School – lesson 51: “RFSL starts – its own organization where the target group was homosexuals”]. QX (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  20. ^ Zimmerman, Bonnie; Haggerty, George (13 June 2021) [1999]. Encyclopedia of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures. Routledge. p. 745. ISBN 978-1-135-72870-0.
  21. ^ Haggerty, George (5 November 2013). Encyclopedia of Gay Histories and Cultures. Routledge. pp. 851–856. ISBN 978-1-135-58506-8.
  22. ^ Wachenfeldt, Anna (7 November 2020). "RFSL fyller 70 – och allt började i Solna" [RFSL turns 70 – and it all started in Solna]. Mitt i Sundbyberg (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 May 2025 – via PressReader.
  23. ^ Edelberg, Peter. "Revolutionaries and Reformists: A Transnational Perspective on the Scandinavian LGBT Movement, 1972–2022". Scandinavian Journal of History: 1–25. doi:10.1080/03468755.2024.2430992. ISSN 0346-8755.
  24. ^ Peterson, Abby; Wahlström, Mattias; Wennerhag, Magnus (12 June 2018). Pride Parades and LGBT Movements: Political Participation in an International Comparative Perspective. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-315-47403-8.
  25. ^ "DEBATT: Örebro kommun stolta över att vara i framkant!". Nerikes Allehanda (in Swedish). 24 August 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  26. ^ Öhrman, Foto: Anders. "Vanja gick i första Prideparaden för 50 år sen". QX.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  27. ^ Britts, Malvina (7 August 2021). "Hon startade Pride – för 50 år sedan" [She started Pride – 50 years ago]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 18 May 2025 – via PressReader.
  28. ^ Larsson, B.; Letell, M.; Thörn, H. (25 January 2012). Transformations of the Swedish Welfare State: From Social Engineering to Governance?. Springer. ISBN 978-0-230-36395-3.
  29. ^ Myers, JoAnne (19 September 2013). Historical Dictionary of the Lesbian and Gay Liberation Movements. Scarecrow Press. p. 317. ISBN 978-0-8108-7468-8.
  30. ^ Torehammar, Henrik (4 June 2023). "Henrik Torehammar: Plötsligt börjar jag omotiverat att gråta" [Henrik Torehammar: Suddenly I start crying for no reason]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish) – via PressReader.
  31. ^ "QX Gayskola – lektion 61: "Kent Carlsson – först ut att komma ut i riksdagen, för 30 år sedan"" [QX Gay School – lesson 61: “Kent Carlsson – first to come out in the Riksdag, 30 years ago”]. QX (in Swedish). 4 December 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  32. ^ Skogseth, Trygve (16 August 2021). "Peter Karlsson: The painful verdict on Swedish ice hockey player's 1995 killing". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  33. ^ van den Berg, Mariecke (2 September 2017). "Rings for the rainbow family: religious opposition to the introduction of same-sex marriage in Sweden". Theology & Sexuality. 23 (3): 229–244. doi:10.1080/13558358.2017.1351125. ISSN 1355-8358.
  34. ^ "Elisebeht Markström (S)". www.riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  35. ^ Voss, Jon (23 February 2006). "Första öppet lesbiska i riksdagen" [First out lesbian in the Riksdag]. QX (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 11 December 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  36. ^ "Gays Win Marriage Rights". Sveriges Radio English. 1 April 2009. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  37. ^ Ringborg, Maria (22 October 2009). "Kyrkomötet öppnade för enkönade äktenskap". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 26 December 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  38. ^ "Sweden church allows gay weddings". BBC News. 22 October 2009. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2025.

Further reading

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  • Bertilsdotter Rosqvist, Hanna, and Klara Arnberg. "Ambivalent Spaces—The Emergence of a New Gay Male Norm Situated Between Notions of the Commercial and the Political in the Swedish Gay Press, 1969–1986." Journal of homosexuality 62.6 (2015): 763–781.
  • Carlson-Rainer, Elise. "Sweden Is a World Leader in Peace, Security, and Human Rights." World Affairs 180.4 (2017): 79–85. online
  • Rydström, Jens. Odd couples: A history of gay marriage in Scandinavia (Amsterdam Univ. Press, 2011).
  • Rydström, J. Sinners and citizens: Bestiality and homosexuality in Sweden, 1880–1950 (U of Chicago Press, 2003) online.
  • Rydström J. & K. Mustola, eds. Criminally queer: homosexuality and criminal law in Scandinavia 1842–1999 (Amsterdam: Aksant, 2007). online
  • Sundevall, Fia, and Alma Persson. "LGBT in the military: policy development in Sweden 1944–2014." Sexuality Research and Social Policy 13.2 (2016): 119–129. online
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