ABSTRACT
The message is all the more poignant: "Ook wij zijn exemplaren van de homo sapiens". The 1920s brought relative relaxation regarding issues of sexuality as expressed in popular culture. Show business became a relatively safe haven for holebis. In 1973 the Dutch government recognized Cultuur- en Ontspannings Centrum as the national hub for emancipatory holebi culture. The former singer of the successful English-language rock-group Unit Gloria launched his solo career in 1973 and switched to his language. His songs carried meaning and sounded like pop. Paarse September, Lesbian Nation and Rooie Flikkers in the Netherlands, and Rooie Hond, Rooie Vlinder and Puur en Ongezoet in Flanders took their cues from the radicalized holebi movement and feminist-socialist ideas. They proclaimed the necessity of free spaces to explore their identities, lifestyles, and cultures. Largely thanks to Long, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender related subjects found their way into popular art and culture.
