“It’s in the blood” is about the AIDS epidemic in Norway, from 1975 to 1996. It is a story about a serious illness. About death. About the uncertain and vulnerable. Grief and sorrow. But in Ketil Slagstad’s good book about the epidemic, there is also a story about something nice, despite all the sadness. Slagstad tells about cooperation and solidarity. About how AIDS is changing Norway for the better. It surprised me. But the boiler work seems so solid that I allowed myself to be persuaded. Not least since Slagstad himself problematizes his own conclusions. He knows that history can always be told in many ways. That it is often the power that tells. “Homsepest” Slagstad is a doctor and historian. This is his first book. Impressive! RESEARCHER: Ketil Slagstad has a PhD on Scandinavian trans history. Now he is a postdoc, i.e. researcher, attached to the Department of History of Medicine and Ethics at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin. The picture shows AIDS researchers testing blood for the virus in Munich in 1985. Photo: Ap In epidemics, already vulnerable groups are almost always to blame, writes Slagstad. Often “foreigners”. Jews. Muslims. Prostitutes. Other minorities. When the corona came in 2019-20, people were afraid of the Chinese. When AIDS came, it was mainly gay men who got the disease. It could easily lead to increased homophobia. Reinforce prejudices. Several books and TV series from other countries show how the authorities took it easy, while gay men got sick and died. The disease “only” applied to homosexuals! In the US, many believed that homosexuals could blame themselves for what they called “the gay plague”, i.e. “gay plague”. In Norway too, there were voices, especially in the Church, who said that AIDS was God’s punishment for “sinful lives”. I thought these voices dominated. The fact that people were afraid of the scary virus led to an increase in homophobia. To panic. According to Slagstad, I was wrong. Avoid stigmatization He wrote that the authorities were on the side of the vulnerable groups. The Directorate of Health wanted to avoid homophobia. Stop the stigma. Knock down prejudices. The goal was to stop the infection. Then the authorities had to talk to people. Not to them. They had to listen. Don’t just decide. AIDS could easily have “forced homosexuals back into the closet”, writes Slagstad. Instead, he shows how governing authorities and organizations for homosexuals worked side by side. Doctors who were themselves gay were placed in central working groups. Organizations for queer people were consulted. This also included subcultures. Slagstad writes, for example, about the teachers. They celebrate kinky sex, preferably outside of regular partnerships. When the scholars were also asked for advice, they ended up in a tussle: On the one hand, they wanted to be different. On the other, they wanted to talk openly about sex. About lust. Ignition. Scouting. SM POSTER: This information poster is particularly aimed at the S/M and fetish environment to inform about condom use. He also points his nose at priests and others in the Church who believed that AIDS was a punishment for “sinful lifestyles”. Poster from 1996. Photo: From “It’s in the blood” Open society The sex talk prevailed. Since AIDS was transmitted through sexual intercourse, one had to talk about sex in public. In the media. In the school. In the Church. In doctors’ offices and hospitals. One had to talk about laying. About health. About death. About what is contagious. And about what didn’t. AIDS will end Norway, writes Slagstad. Not just for the risk groups. For all. “The epidemic that changed Norway” is the subtitle of his book. The result was a more open society. Prostitutes “death machines” But everything was not perfect. The struggles of other important risk groups, such as drug users and prostitutes, were heard less. There, zero tolerance was the ideal: first drug reduction, then AIDS treatment. Prostitutes were called “death machines” in the newspaper. The wish was that they would stop selling sex. Although it was unclear whether they actually infected their customers. Note that the prostitute is considered the problem – not the customers. From Dagbladet in 1985. Photo: From “It’s in the blood” Prostitutes were less often treated with the same respect as homosexuals. Here VG in 1988. Photo: From “It lies in the blood” In the beginning there was a lot of fear, and little knowledge, about how AIDS is transmitted. Facsimile from Dagbladet August 1987. Photo: From “It lies in the blood” Slagstad shows how fear and panic were fodder for the media. In the shocking articles, one speculated, for example, whether mosquito bites could spread infection. (Conclusion: no.) “Innocent infected”, such as blood vessels, had a higher status than those who were infected due to “deviant lifestyles”. Like gays. Hear the book announcement from “Open Book: The Critics”: Thorough work Ketil Slagstad has done thorough academic work. Tråla historical document. Newspapers. Books. The biography and documents in the Skeivt archive. Research articles, diaries and pamphlets. The book is illustrated with black and white images of newspaper articles, information posters, brochures. WELL EQUIPPED: The governing authorities’ information posters gradually became more and more explicit in their message. Use a condom! Poster from 1995. Photo: From “It’s in the blood” The author has also interviewed a large number of people who had various roles. Doctors, nurses and other health workers. But also people who survived. Relatives. People living with HIV infection today. The book is neatly structured chronologically. It starts with reports of a “plague” among homosexuals in the United States. Sjuka comes to Norway in 1983. After many uncertain years with a lot of fear, find a medic who helps in 1996. Writing down the facts is mixed with closer stories. Personal physician votes. Details that make actions and decisions easier to understand. “It lies in the blood” has already won the Booksellers’ non-fiction prize. The book has also been nominated for the Brage Prize, in the category for non-fiction. I will be happy, and not at all surprised, if Ketil Slagstad wins it too. news reviews Photo: Forlaget Press Title: “It’s in the blood – the epidemic that changed Norway” Author: Ketil Slagstad Genre: Nonfiction Number of pages: 523 Date: 4 October 2023 Publisher: Press Hi! I’m a literary critic at news, with a special interest for Norwegian and translated fiction. Feel free to read my message about the historical novels “Xiania” by Lotta Elstad and “Skråpånatta” by Lars Mytting, or “Unwanted behavior” by Olaug Nilssen. Feel free to write to me! WATCH ON news TV: Meet the person who experienced, lived through and survived the AIDS epidemic in the 80s in the TV series “We should die of AIDS”. Listen to the podcast series “The whole story” about the AIDS epidemic in Norway: Also listen to “Open book: The critics” about another Brage-nominated non-fiction book: “Machines that think” by Inga Strümke:
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“It lies in the blood” by Ketil Slagstad – news Culture and entertainment
