August Koren senior

Translator's Note: This is a machine-assisted translation completed on March 13, 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 Please note that specialized terms, historical references, and nuanced content may benefit from expert review. 

The doctor and advocate for morality, August Koren, warned in 1907 about "the homosexual cultural wave" that would soon sweep over the country…

In 1906 and 1907, the topic of homosexuality was on the agenda among physicians in the capital. On November 7, 1906, the psychiatrist Henrik Dedichen initiated a debate in the Medical Society, an internal association for doctors in Kristiania. He argued that homosexuality was an innate pathological trait that should be understood as a medical phenomenon and not be punishable (Forhandlinger 1906, 143, Dedichen 1907, and Wolfert 2020). Dedichen's presentation sparked significant engagement, and the debate continued at all subsequent meetings of the Medical Society in 1906 and at the first meeting in 1907. Many of the country's most renowned doctors participated in the debate, including some of the leading psychiatrists in the nation. Some doctors agreed with Dedichen, while others opposed him. One of the latter was August Koren senior (1833-1929).

Masquerades, Dancing Fun, and Brothels

Koren had some knowledge of the topic. On January 30, 1907, speaking at the Medical Society, he shared that in foreign cities, there were homosexual "masquerades," "dance gatherings," and "parties." He added that "from Constantinople and other southern cities," there were even homosexual brothels (Medicinske Selskab 1907, 13). Koren had learned about Constantinople (Istanbul) from a man he had spoken to, who had visited such a brothel. Additionally, Koren revealed that an acquaintance of his had been to Berlin and had received a tour of the city's nightlife from a policeman. This included visits to cafes, bars, and even exclusive balls for homosexual men and women.

The Homosexual Cultural Wave

Translator's Note: This is a machine-assisted translation completed on March 13, 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 Please note that specialized terms, historical references, and nuanced content may benefit from expert review. 

The doctor and advocate for morality, August Koren, warned in 1907 about "the homosexual cultural wave" that would soon sweep over the country…

Even though something similar had not yet been observed in Norway, Koren warned his colleagues during that January evening in 1907 not to become complacent. He believed there were troubling signs that Norway would also not be spared from this phenomenon, which he saw as a wave spreading across Europe from the south, specifically from Istanbul: "Cultural waves always move from the south to the north here in Europe, sometimes bringing good things, sometimes bad. The homosexual cultural wave—better described as a lack of culture—is now moving northward, already engulfing Berlin, and its forerunners have reached Copenhagen and Stockholm, soon to reach our shores." Koren likened homosexuality to a contagion gradually spreading across Europe. The audience likely nodded in recognition when Stockholm and Copenhagen were mentioned, as newspapers were then full of reports about scandals and transgressions in neighboring countries.

The Criminal Law: The Only Safeguard

Koren argued that everything possible should be done to protect Norwegian society from the spread of these "social and moral excesses." The sole means for this was the criminal law provision (Medicinske Selskab 1907, 12). When it came to what should be punishable, Koren was somewhat moderate. He clarified to his medical colleagues that consensual homosexual acts between two adult men should not be punishable, as long as it did not cause "offense or scandal or temptation" to others. Homosexuality, in Koren's view, was already a punishment that those affected had to endure.

Homosexual Women's Ball

On one specific point, Koren directly disagreed with the current legislation: he believed that homosexual acts between women should also be punishable. Koren claimed that female homosexuality, or "tribadism," as he also called it, was far from rare. He shared a story about an acquaintance of his who attended a homosexual women's ball in Berlin. At the event, around 300 women were present, half of whom were dressed in men's attire, all in formal clothing. According to Koren, the atmosphere was highly repulsive, with wilder dancing, louder conversations, and more overt affectionate behavior compared to the men's ball. To Koren, this served as evidence that homosexuality was also a phenomenon among women.

Advocate for Morality

August Koren senior was the chairman of the Morality Association from 1885 to 1899, and when he spoke about homosexuality at the Medical Society in January 1907, he was still a member of the organization’s board (Larsen 1996, 401-403). In other words, for over 20 years, Koren had been one of the leading figures in the fight for stricter sexual morals. This commitment was tied to Koren’s religiosity, and during his speech to his medical colleagues, he emphasized that his views on homosexuality were entirely aligned with those of the Apostle Paul, as expressed in the Letter to the Romans.

Further Research

If we trust the research on morality associations, their central focus was combating extramarital heterosexuality. A topic for further investigation could be exploring this more closely: If it wasn’t a primary focus of the morality movement, were there more individuals like Koren who believed that the homosexual cultural wave was part of the threat landscape?