Eivind Åse (born 1945)

Translator's Note: This is a machine-assisted translation completed on July 25, 2025. While care has been taken to maintain accuracy, this translation has not yet undergone human review or validation. Please note that specialized terms, historical references, and nuanced content may benefit from expert review. 

Åse had previously served as head of the Oslo chapter of DNF-48 in 1982, before taking on the role as Chair of the Health Committee (Helseutvalget).

The Health Committee (Helseutvalget) was established in 1983 as a response to the HIV epidemic. Its mission is to promote health and prevent disease among lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and other women and men who have sex with people of the same gender.

Åse served as Chair of the Health Committee from 1986 to 1988, during a period when HIV/AIDS was spreading rapidly within the communities the organization worked with.

An excerpt from the interview can be viewed in the window below. In it, Åse reflects on how the fact that gay men themselves took the initiative to address the crisis was a key factor in Norway’s effective response. He also describes the formation of the first support groups—and the immense challenges involved in that work.

The full interview is available in the reading room at the Queer Archives (Skeivt arkiv).
We met Eivind Åse in Oslo, May 2018.