The Great Indecency Case in Bergen (1938)

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The Great Indecency Case ("Den store sedelighetssak") was the name the newspapers gave to a major investigation into men who had engaged in indecent relations with boys under and over the age of 16 in Bergen. It is the largest individual case in which Section 213 was applied.

The case began in 1937 with a tip about suspicious traffic of boys visiting the room of one of the main defendants. This led to a large investigation that revealed such activities were widespread in Bergen. The case caused a major scandal and moral panic in the city.

Primarily, it involved men over the age of 21—many significantly older—who had engaged in sexual relations with boys both under and over the age of 16. Often, it resembled a form of boy prostitution.

Around 20 of the men were convicted solely under Section 213, for having sex with boys aged 16 to 21. Equivalent heterosexual relations would not have been illegal, so one could say that Section 213 was used here to enforce a de facto age of consent of 21 for homosexual acts. During the investigation, police also encountered cases where adult men had sexual relations with young men over 21. These men were not prosecuted but received a warning.

The Great Indecency Case helped cement the notion that homosexuality and indecency with minors were inherently linked. The understanding of the issue was somewhat different from how a similar case would be viewed today. One of the verdicts stated that these were "...offenses that may be dangerous to society insofar as they may encourage homosexual tendencies among the youth” (quoted from Jordåen 2003, p. 103).

The Great Indecency Case is the largest single case in the history of Section 213. The paragraph was otherwise rarely used, but in Bergen in 1938, a total of 34 men were convicted. Fourteen of them were also found guilty of indecency with boys under the age of 16.

The case also received significant media attention, both in Bergen and nationally.

You can read more about the case in my master’s thesis (Jordåen 2003), where it is examined within the framework of a broader study on the relationship between criminal justice and psychiatry. A more in-depth exploration of the case through court rulings, police records, and press coverage could provide a better understanding. In addition to the investigation and legal proceedings, the case also sparked a broader public debate in the newspapers about sexual morality, homosexuality, and abuse.

Also see Nina Ratcliff’s master’s thesis on the major scandal.