Private Homes as Gathering Places: From Bergen's Gay Life in the Seventies

Translator's Note: This is a machine-assisted translation completed on May 20, 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 Please note that specialized terms, historical references, and nuanced content may benefit from expert review.

In the 1970s, there were few public meeting places for gay people in Bergen. DNF-48 held gatherings for its members every weekend at the Ran House, and there was a reasonably tolerant atmosphere at a few venues, such as “Disken” at Hotel Norge and the legendary pub “Bangla” on Vestre Torvgate. But beyond that, there wasn’t much. That’s why gatherings and more spontaneous socializing in private homes became important. This was true even for many who also frequented the Ran House and the bars. Here, I will mention a few of those homes that I personally experienced. These reflections are based on the years I lived in Bergen, between 1975 and 1981.

Two central gay activists in Bergen in the mid-1970s were Arne Lie Christensen, who arrived in the city in 1973, and Birger Angvik. In 1975, they lived next door to each other on Tullins gate in Møhlenpris, and both maintained an open and welcoming approach. Arne’s apartment became a gathering place for a consciousness-raising group that met every Sunday afternoon, and thus became known as the “Sunday Group.” Both openly gay and closeted individuals attended, and everyone could share their concerns and listen to the experiences of those who had come further in telling others about their identity. The group later met at Helge Hasselgreen’s home in Landås, and then at Rolf Monsen’s—first when he lived in Langeveien, and later in Steinkjellergaten, where he moved in the autumn of 1978. When the conflict over exclusions within DNF-48 broke out in November that year, the Sunday Group took on a new role as a meeting place for the opposition, and the activities there laid the foundation for a new organization founded in the spring of 1979: HBB, the Homosexual Movement in Bergen.

When I arrived in Bergen in 1975, I was immediately drawn into this activist environment. It became important for me to come out to fellow students and others, especially those I was involved with politically. I also tried to bring these different communities together. At the time, I lived in an old house on Sliberget in Nordnes, with other students living on the floors above and below, as well as in the neighboring house. I hosted a party where I invited both my neighbors and fellow students from the institute, along with some gay friends. It turned out to be a somewhat unusual party—some were clearly taken by surprise to see boys dancing together. As one friendly guy from one of my political groups said: “I don’t know what to say, because I’ve never talked to anyone before who said they were gay!” That’s how it was for many people back then.

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In the summer of 1976, I traveled abroad and was away for two years. When I returned in the autumn of 1978, Arne Lie had moved to Oslo earlier that summer, while Birger Angvik had the year before moved into an apartment at the top of Vestre Torvgate with his partner Nils (“Niffe”) Sivertsen. Both were active in the gay community and in other political circles, and people came and went—for meetings or simply to spend time over a cup of coffee or a meal with these food-loving men. When I came back to Bergen and had no place to stay, they spontaneously invited me to move into a small guest room they had, and I stayed there for a couple of months until I was able to rent a room in Nygårdsgaten. Birger and Nils’s home continued to be an important place in the city’s gay life for several years, until their relationship ended in 1987. Nils moved to Oslo, changed jobs, and began taking on long-term assignments abroad. Birger increasingly focused on his work as a professor at the university and gradually withdrew from gay activism.

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Another home that played a significant role as a gathering place was Ingebrigt Flønæs’s house at Lille Øvregate 26. Both Ingebrigt and his partner Hans were active in the gay community. Ingebrigt was the chair of DNF-48 in Bergen. He was an outgoing person with many friends, and many also sought him out for help with personal issues—or simply for social company. When the national board of DNF-48, in late autumn 1978, suddenly expelled a number of members without warning—sparking a bitter conflict within Bergen’s gay community—Ingebrigt, who was among those expelled, immediately offered a room on the ground floor of his house to the opposition. It became a meeting place for various activities and eventually served as the office for the new organization HBB – the Homosexual Movement in Bergen – which was founded in May 1979. This function continued for several years.

The apartment upstairs, where Ingebrigt and Hans lived, became well known for their parties—especially for lively pre-parties and after-parties. There was also an extra room, a mix of storage and guest room, and Ingebrigt was generous and hospitable to those in need of a place to stay. I myself stayed there temporarily in the summer of 1979, while once again searching for a place to live. At one point, a rather boozy guest from the capital stayed there, throwing parties day and night—eventually turning the house so upside down that the hosts themselves had to check into a hotel for a few days just to get some rest!

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Another important gathering place was the house where Torstein Dahle lived, in Mollesmauet. Torstein shared the house with a friend, Arne Kolsum, who later moved to Denmark. Both were active in gay politics, and Torstein was also involved in other political movements, dedicating all his time to activism—something that was clearly reflected in the state of the house. There were piles of papers everywhere, along with general clutter, and the house itself was a renovation project that had clearly stalled halfway through, much to Arne’s frustration. Still, this didn’t stop them from frequently hosting guests, both for political discussions and social gatherings. Among other things, they held an annual get-together on May 1st as a warm-up before marching in the gay section of the May Day parade.

What all of these homes had in common was that they were consistently open—not only for more organized meetings and events, but also for countless casual coffee visits.
The atmosphere was marked by friendship and camaraderie, but not by cruising—those kinds of encounters took place elsewhere, such as at bars or well-known public meeting spots like Byparken. It’s also worth mentioning that, in addition to regular socializing and gatherings among friends, there were often visits from individuals who came to talk about personal problems, to seek comfort and advice, or simply because they were lonely and in need of company. The care and support that many experienced within the gay community are among my fondest memories from my years in Bergen during the 1970s.

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Today, contact and social interaction are shaped by media that didn’t exist back then—such as mobile phones, Facebook, dating apps, and online chat platforms. These have their advantages, but perhaps also, paradoxically, contribute to greater distance between people and more barriers to genuine connection. Today, discussions about politics and social issues largely take place in such forums, rather than through people gathering around a coffee table to talk face to face. For most, it’s also unthinkable to visit someone without calling or texting first to check if it’s convenient—back then, people would frequently knock on each other’s doors without any prior arrangement, and no one felt bothered by such unannounced visits. The public sphere has also changed significantly since then, with many more cafés and bars where people now spend much of their free time. These days, people tend to meet in such places rather than in each other’s homes. For these reasons too, the role of private homes as meeting places has become something quite different today—for most people.

This short account covers a limited period in the 1970s and early 1980s, and is based on my personal experiences. I have not attempted to describe communities or circles that I was not personally involved in. In particular, some may notice the absence of any discussion about the experiences of lesbians. Some women did take part in the gatherings described here, but of course, lesbians also had their own communities and meeting places. I hope that someone who was part of those spaces will be able to share their stories.

I could certainly have mentioned more places than those included here, and more names. But the ones I have mentioned were central and important to many. And now, forty years later, I want to highlight one person who still today keeps a home open to so many, and to such a wide variety of people: Rolf Monsen, who throughout all these years has been a familiar figure in the city, and who to this day, in his home just across the street from the theatre, continues the tradition from the spirited years of activism in the 1970s. A fine example of how, even today, social gatherings in private homes remain an important part of gay life in Bergen.