Programma voor de cabaretvoorstelling 'Lieve Neef - Lieve Nicht' verzorgd door leden van het COC afdeling Den Haag 1971 - 1972

Curator: Oh, this has such a specific, quiet charm! It's a program for the cabaret "Lieve Neef - Lieve Nicht"– that's "Dear Nephew, Dear Niece" – put on by the Hague chapter of the COC, the Dutch LGBTQ+ rights organization. Made sometime between '71 and '72. The graphic style really screams early '70s. Editor: Yes, it’s simple yet striking. My immediate thought is, these slightly awkward cartoon figures suggest the early, cautious visibility of queer identity. They aren’t flamboyant; there’s a subtle message of normalcy they’re trying to convey, isn't there? Curator: Normalcy maybe… acceptance for sure! The text at the bottom—a performance "for homosexuals and others, provided with cash and discernment and an admission ticket." So delightfully dry! I love imagining what that cabaret must have been like. Bold but constrained by the social mores of the time? Editor: Exactly. The phrase “homofielen en voor anderen”—“homosexuals and others”—speaks volumes. It acknowledges a specific queer audience but invites allies too. It hints at coalition-building, suggesting that queer liberation benefits everyone. Curator: You can almost smell the cigarette smoke and feel the collective breath held while they poked fun at heteronormative expectations. Though I confess the illustrations…they look like stick figures attempting leisure. Almost earnest but…missing something! Editor: And those minimalist illustrations serve to desexualize the image further, making it accessible to a broader, potentially less accepting, audience. Consider how revolutionary it was simply to *depict* same-sex relations, even in such an understated manner. This was at a time when homosexuality was still criminalized in many places. The poster quietly resisted that. Curator: Oh, definitely. Even those twin pillars hovering above, like doorways framing these fellows—symbolic for opening, transition or maybe even barriers! It seems like they wanted this performance to reach as many people as possible…even as they carefully veiled explicit references in double entendre. Editor: And remember that "discernment," required alongside an admission ticket. Such careful navigation! It signals an understanding that humor and coded language are both strategies of resistance but are tools that had to be sharp! Curator: Thinking about it all, makes me hope their ticket sales went gangbusters! And now I can only imagine what other artistic gems COC was releasing… Editor: Precisely, seeing the show program highlights both, how far queer liberation has progressed, and, equally important, it serves to reminds us that progress is not promised and, just as important, it underscores the ongoing struggle to ensure equality.