Hans Petter Harboe (born 1942)

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 Please note that specialized terms, historical references, and nuanced content may benefit from expert review. 

Harboe participated in the “Pastoral Letter Action” (Hyrdebrevaksjonen) in 1978 and also served as editor of Fritt Fram, one of the key publications in the Norwegian gay rights movement.

In our interview, Harboe recounts how he became an early member of DNF-48 and later played a central role in the formation of the “Soper League” (Soperligaen). He maintained membership in both organizations, despite their ideological differences.

He was a close friend and ally of Kim Friele and stood in opposition to what many perceived as an attempt by the Marxist-Leninist party AKP-ml to take control of DNF-48. In the interview, he also reflects on the widely discussed “Pastoral Letter Action” (Hyrdebrevaksjonen) and its consequences—not only for those directly involved, but also for the broader debate on abortion rights.

Harboe was also a key contributor to the magazine Supergutt, where he created many of the illustrations.

An excerpt from our conversation with Harboe can be viewed in the window below. “Why shouldn’t we encourage people to be gay?” he asks. “Being gay is fun!”

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