John Earhart (born 1949)

Translator's Note: This is a machine-assisted translation completed on July 28, 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 Please note that specialized terms, historical references, and nuanced content may benefit from expert review.

Earhart has lived permanently in Norway since 1973 and has been a central figure in Oslo’s queer community since the mid-1970s. He was also involved from the very beginning of Bamseklubben and has remained a key figure ever since.

In the interview, Earhart talks about his upbringing in the United States and how he first came to Norway as an exchange student in the late 1960s. He stayed with the Benestad family in Grimstad, where he became acquainted with Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad.

He also shares stories from his working life in both industry and healthcare. He has been openly gay throughout and has been highly active in trade union work.

An excerpt from the interview can be seen in the window below, where Earhart talks about Bamseklubben and explains the different terms used to describe types of men within the club.

The full interview is available at the Queer Archive (Skeivt arkiv), part of the Special Collections at the University Library of Bergen.

The Queer Archive met John Earhart in Oslo in January 2018.