

It‘s that time of the year again and Reykjavík is gearing up for the gayest weekend of the year (and that‘s including the Eurovision Song Contest weekend), Reykjavík Pride! The first Pride parade in 1994 consisted of a handful of people but has grown into a week-long festival culminating in the Pride parade taking over the Reykjavík city centre. This year, the festival is dedicated to LGBT+ history, so in order to get ready for the festival celebrating everybody’s right to live and love, here’s a few things you should know:
It hasn’t been easy…
And every victory was hard-earned…
But it’s getting better.
Ever since 1940, the year gay sex stopped being a punishable offence in Iceland, there has been excruciatingly slow but steady progress towards acceptance in Iceland. Rigid gender roles and strict heteronormativity have slowly made way for a more liberal attitude towards sex, love and life from the general population.
There have been milestones…
Gay people in Iceland have today been granted many legal rights that seemed unthinkable just a few decades ago. Confirmed cohabitation, a substitute for marriage with some of the legal rights, came first, followed by the right to adopt, and finally, in 2010, individuals of the same sex could get married.
Pioneers…
And icons…
Páll Óskar is the ultimate gay icon in Iceland. He’s been in the spotlight since he was a teenager and garnered international attention when he performed the highly suggestive Minn hinsti dans in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1997. Although his most lasting love is with disco and dance music, he’s showed an incredible range and tackled everything from traditional Icelandic songs and ballads to techno. His float in the Pride parade and subsequent show on Arnarhóll hill is usually the highlight of the day.


But things aren’t perfect yet…
When Hörður Torfa returned to Iceland after his informal exile, he and some other enterprising people founded Samtökin 78, Iceland’s most prominent LGBT+ rights association. Samtökin ’78 (simply translates to The ’78 Organisation) have spent decades educating the public in Iceland and fighting for the rights of their members. Unfortunately, there’s still a need for Samtökin; the fight for equality isn’t over yet.
…so head to Reykjavík Pride and sing along at the top of your lungs!
Ég er eins og ég er – There are plenty of Icelandic gay anthems (every other song by Páll Óskar, for example) but there’s one in particular that will climb through your ears the first time you hear it and take up permanent residence. Ég er eins og ég er (e. I am who I am) is just what it sounds like, a proud statement of identity, refusing to hide or to apologise. We recommend learning the lyrics by heart and singing along at the top of your lungs!
For more information, events and the festival programme, head to http://hinsegindagar.is/en/.