Fun Fast Facts:
- Prime Minister, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, is an out lesbian.
- Same-sex marriage legal since 2010, in a unanimous vote.
- 1996 allowed for registered partnerships for same-sex couples.
- Every major political party has a 40% quota for women in their party.
LGBT-friendly organisation: Raykjavick Gay Pride
- The Reykjavik Gay Pride always takes place around the second weekend of August.
- The Gay Pride festivities in Reykjavík have been in place since 1999.
W3JOY interviewed: Eva María Þórarinsdóttir Lange, Chairman of the Raykjavick Gay Pride
It has been hard, actually. Even though we stand equal to other people today, it hasn’t been easy, the fight for it.
I think the reason for Iceland being so quick in adopting new laws and changing society is because society is so small…pretty much everybody knows somebody that’s gay or transsexual…and once you know somebody, you care about these issues.
This image of the Prime Minister being an open lesbian has helped us…it is almost more important to other countries…here it is not an issue. It wasn’t an issue for Icelandic people that she is a lesbian.
Even for a small country, we can be a role model for other countries. I think that is the next step. We are passing a law for transsexuals as well.
Published on: Aug 21, 2012 @ 9:32
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:18 — 26.8MB)