Artists are often celebrated for representing a specific style or image, something that makes them stand out as unique. But what is at stake when artists and musicians challenge norms and expectations about gender and sexuality? In this talk, we take a closer look at how artists who stay true to their own identity offer a kind of "queering" of established norms, critiquing the mainstream. Daring to be oneself contributes to diversity in the music industry, but the costs can sometimes be high.

Lecturer Ingvil Førland Hellstrand, Professor at the Centre for Gender Studies at the University of Stavanger.

Organized in collaboration with AKKS Stavanger and Kapittel.

This event is part of Kapittel - Stavanger International Festival of Literature and Freedom of Speech, 16-20 September 2026. For more information see: kapittel.no. At selected events at Sølvberget and during the Kapittel festival, we take photos and videos for documentation purposes and for use on social media.