Between positive representation and camp performance: Three films from the Swedish lesbian and gay liberation movement

This article discusses three unique films emanating from the lesbian and gay liberation movement in Sweden in the 1970s: Bögjävlar/Damned Queers, directed by a group of gay men who lived communally in Stockholm; Kvinnan i ditt liv är du/‘The Woman in Your Life Is You’, directed by Lesbisk Front/Lesbian Front, also based in Stockholm; and Eva & Maria, directed by three women in Göteborg. Based on archival research and interviews, I discuss how the three films’ different production and reception histories offer insight into the relationship between Swedish politics around sexuality and LGBTQ issues. These largely unknown films are crucial examples of self-presentation. They offer salient critiques of the ways that homosexuality was viewed and represented in 1970s Sweden. Formally, they range from parody to realism. By shedding light on these films, the article problematizes the standardized narrative of Swedish sexual freedom and progressiveness.