One of the more recent additions to the pride calendar comes from Iceland. This year, Reykjavik, the nation’s capital, celebrates its fifth annual Pride celebration, Hinsegin Dagar August 8 and 9. It’s a weekend of parties, cultural events, and, of course, a grand parade on Sunday afternoon, which ends in the center of the city with a gala program of speeches and international entertainment.
The gay movement began later than most in this small nation of 280,000 inhabitants. Iceland’s national gay right organization, Samtokin 78 was formed in 1978, and has worked tirelessly ever since. Ironically, it was the AIDS epidemic that propelled the issue of gay rights to the center of public attention and debate. By the mid 1980s, the disease could no longer be ignored in Iceland. In order to mount an effective campaign to educate people about AIDS, this country of conservative Evangelical Lutherans had to talk openly about sex. Or, in the words of Iceland’s queer pop icon Pall Oskar, "they had to start talking not just about their own sex, but about other peoples’ sex."
The result of this open public discussion was a sweeping change in both social policy and law that has placed the Iceland gay and lesbian community among the most emancipated in the world. Gay marriage is a legal fact of life, and gay folk live side by side with straights in quiet harmony. There remain pockets of anti-gay conservatism, especially out in the sparsely populated rural villages. And there are issues still to resolve. But the fact remains, this country has seen one of the swiftest societal attitude adjustments in the world.
In 1999, a group of 1500 attended Iceland’s first pride celebration. Last year, between 25 and 30 thousand people showed up to participate or to watch. That’s a solid 10 percent of the nation’s population! As news of the Reykjavik gay community has slowly seeped into international queer consciousness, this annual celebration has attracted a growing number of visitors from both Europe and the U.S. Hotels are booked months in advance for the festivities, and visitors often remain for a few days to sample some of the rugged nature and adventure that Iceland has to offer.
It may be too late for this year, but Reykjavik, with its temperate summer days, and a sun that never sets in summer, is an inviting destination to consider when making plans to celebrate gay pride. Drink beer in an elegant café. Shop in the boutiques that line Laugavegur, the main commercial thoroughfare. Swim in a geothermal pool. Visit the Rainbow café at Samtokin 78. Dance with your shirt off until 6 a.m. at the Spotlight Club. And, perhaps, spend a romantic interlude with someone who claims Vikings as ancestors!
