Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.08.2014, Blaðsíða 25

“Thus, while the fight
for full rights in Iceland
may have been won in
the law books for gays
and lesbians, it seems
there is still work to be
done for all members of
the community. ”
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freak flag fly and, for lack of a better
word, be ‘proud’ of it. Assless leather
chaps and all.
But for all its magnanimity, Pride
hasn’t lost its grassroots feel. Anyone can
participate in the parade as long as they
support the queer cause and have a mes-
sage. The parade coordinators stress that
the parade should be a venue that allows
people to express themselves however
they want to as long as they aren’t offen-
sive. This ‘for the people, by the people’
attitude is represented in the Pride com-
mittee itself as they are all volunteer-
based and work to organise Pride from
a deep-rooted passion for the cause. Fi-
nally, and importantly, there is no com-
mercialization of Pride events. Adver-
tising isn’t allowed on any of the parade
floats or banners—a contrast to the con-
troversial path many other Pride parades
around the globe have taken. Dissenters
of private advertising argue that com-
merce dilutes political movements.
All The Colours In The
Rainbow: The Intersex Voice
Gets Its Own Stage
In order to keep Pride current, there is a
constant effort to be more and more in-
clusive of marginalised groups that may
have been previously overlooked. While
gay men and lesbian women have often
served as the visible foundation of the
queer movement, there are quieter voic-
es in the queer community. “We have
smaller groups within our group, which
don’t have as loud a
voice as gays and les-
bians do,” Eva María
says. “That’s why this
year Reykjavík Pride
will give a louder voice
to the intersex com-
munity.” A few specif-
ic events—including a
documentary screen-
ing and educational
talks—will acknowl-
edge the importance
of the I in LGBTQIA. To give you an
idea of what this discussion might entail,
questions may be addressed as to how
intersexuals navigate a binary gendered
world—notably in places like public re-
strooms. Thus, while the fight for full
rights in Iceland may have been won in
the law books for gays and lesbians, it
seems there is still work to be done for all
members of the community. “We have to
think of all the colours in the rainbow,”
as Eva María so poignantly and fittingly
puts it.
Pink Tourism,
Pink Iceland
A curious intersection of queer rights
and the impact of globalisation in Ice-
land can be found within the tourism
industry. It’s obvious to anyone walking
along Laugavegur these days that tour-
ist numbers are on the rise and, by some
accounts, through the roof. As the tour-
ist industry grows, so does the demand
for specialised holidays catering to niche
target groups, case in point being what
has come to be known as ‘gay tourism.’
Iceland is particularly well suited to at-
tract queer tourists owing to its world-
wide reputation as a gay friendly desti-
nation.
Enter Pink Iceland, Iceland’s only
gay owned and operated travel and event
expert. Hannes Pálsson, one of Pink
Iceland’s founders, describes to me the
mission of their company from his of-
fice overlooking tourists on Laugavegur
below. He explains that the three found-
ing owners had long provided advice for
queer travellers who wanted to see Ice-
land and then realised that they could
turn that advice-giving into a veritable
business. By emphasizing a high-level
of service, transparency, openness, and
honesty, they’ve created a company that
celebrates diversity without excluding
more mainstream, or ‘straight,’ travel-
lers. As Hannes said, “The queer com-
munity has been buying into straight
companies forever, why can’t there be
a queer-focused company that straight
people can buy into?” And, it seems to
be working! While I was there, Hannes
was preparing a tour for a mother, a fa-
ther and two kids (the spitting image of
the straight, nuclear family). Perhaps it’s
the personal touch, welcoming people
both queer and straight alike that leaves
guests saying, “We
came here for the
nature, but we’ll be
back for the people.”
Iceland does seem
like an odd choice
for the stereotypical
‘gay-cation,’ full of
bronzed beach bod-
ies wearing more
glitter than clothing;
however, Hannes
hypothesises that
this isn’t the only thing discerning gay
travellers want. “Maybe we’re a wel-
come relief from the typical gay des-
tination that seems to focus solely on
six-packs” (that would be abdominal
muscles rather than beer). He tells me of
a touching story of a lesbian couple from
India who claimed their favourite thing
about visiting Iceland was being able
to openly hold hands on the streets of
Reykjavík without attracting unwanted
attention. Despite the fact that there is
only one queer bar in Reykjavík—Kiki
Queer Bar—Hannes tells me that this
lack of ‘gay space’ doesn’t seem to be a
problem for Pink Iceland’s guests. Per-
haps the lack of queer themed establish-
ments poses more of a problem for the
locals; however, the overarching accep-
tance of Icelanders discourages the gay
ghettoization common in other urban
areas around the world.
Hannes agrees that Reykjavík Pride
is an obvious draw for LGBTQIA trav-
ellers. While no one can be certain how
many tourists choose to come to Iceland
specifically for Pride, foreign visitors
certainly abound at all of the events. Re-
lating tourism to this year’s focus on the
intersex community, Hannes recalls a
time when he arranged for a guest to use
a private changing room at the Blue La-
goon which, for obvious reasons, could
have been an uncomfortable experience
for the visitor to have to coordinate on
their own. Adding to reasons why he
thinks trans and intersex people are un-
derrepresented in the travel industry he
says, “maybe it still seems like a matter of
life or death for them rather than Beni-
dorm or Iceland.”
Iceland As A Role Model
For The World?
With more and more tourists arriving
every year for Pride and social media
spreading Iceland’s accepting image
around the world, one might wonder
if Reykjavík Pride now serves as an ex-
ample on the world stage. What does
this mean for Iceland? On one hand, this
interconnectedness allows struggling
Pride movements in places like Russia
and Uganda to know that they are not
alone, that there are places in the world
where acceptance is the norm, and to
keep on fighting for what is just. On the
other hand, should Iceland feel respon-
sible as global human rights crusaders?
“We can’t only think about ourselves,”
Eva María says, “we have to think about
our people everywhere because human
rights is not a matter of one country.”
But perhaps being a role model might be
too big of a charge and Iceland should be
looked at as a case study instead. “May-
be ‘role model’ is an overstatement,”
Hannes tells me. “I’m afraid of the white
saviour syndrome. Like, ‘look at us, we
got it right’…But, maybe we didn’t.”
Whether or not Reykjavík Pride
serves as an example for the world, there
will still be a delightfully local feel come
August 5. Eva María assures me that,
despite the influx of visitors year after
year, Pride is still primarily targeted at
Icelanders and expats living in Iceland.
On an even more local note, when asked
if she thought the new mayor of Reyk-
javík, Dagur Eggertsson, could fill in
Jón Gnarr’s imposing high heels in this
year’s parade (let’s be honest, this is the
big question on everyone’s mind) she
told me, “Dagur is very supportive. I’m
not sure if he’ll be sporting high heels
this year….but you never know.” High
heels or not, pretty soon the streets of
Reykjavík will be filled with joy and
merriment. And, yes, there will be rain-
bows.
This year’s Pride programme is
chock full of events meant to edu-
cate, inspire, and entertain. Some
events carry a minimal admission
fee (hey, it costs money to look this
good!) but most are free. If you’re
planning on binging on Pride events,
it’s in your best interest to buy the
Pride Pass (6,900 ISK) granting you
access to everything fabulous on
offer and some street cred to boot.
Here are a few of the highlights from
Baldvin Kári, the Vice President of
Reykjavík Pride and event planner
extraordinaire:
Tuesday, August 5
Baldvin says not to miss the docu-
mentary screening of ‘Intersexion’
by Grant Lahood with a Q&A session
hosted by Kitty Anderson, the Presi-
dent of Intersex Iceland. As a focus
of Pride this year, the intersex com-
munity is being given a louder voice
and this is the perfect opportunity
to hear it (21:00, Bíó Paradís, Free!).
Alternatively, if you don’t like learn-
ing, there’s always pleasure in ogling
your favourite beach volleyball play-
ers at Blak, BBQ & Baywatch—a
friendly match between queer sports
groups and Reykjavík City Council
members. (17:00, Nauthólsvík, Free!)
Wednesday, August 6
Wednesday is the day for unexpect-
ed unions. Perhaps the most unex-
pected—but entirely welcome—is
the marriage of diving and divas in
Dívur og Dýfur, which Baldvin de-
scribes as amazing already “based
on the name alone.” What could be
better than ‘live music, diving show
& splashing around’? Nothing. Noth-
ing at all. (20:00, Sundhöllin Swim-
ming Pool, 1,500 ISK)
But don’t let that be the only
union you make on Wednesday. Al-
low Greeks, Gods and Green Queers
to be united at Grikkir, goðsögur og
grænir hýrlingar in a guided tour of
the botanical gardens focusing on
plants and mythology from a queer
perspective. (17:00, Reykjavík Bo-
tanic Garden, Free!)
Thursday, August 7:
Opening ceremonies are al-
ways the best. Don’t be fool-
ish and miss out on this
one! Baldvin notes that
this year will welcome the
unparalleled WILLAM of RuPaul’s
Drag Race fame as well as Iceland’s
very own and very admired Páll
Óskar. Make sure to get your ticket
early! (20:30, Silfurberg Hall, Harpa,
2,500 ISK)
Friday, August 8
What’s Pride without a little (or a lot
of) dancing? One of your best oppor-
tunities (but surely not the only one)
is at the Landleguball or Shore Leave
Dance following the Pride Cruise.
Don your sailor cap and find some
nice seamen (yeah, I went there) and
dance the night away. (23:00, Kiki
Queer Bar, 1,000 ISK)
Saturday, August 9
The parade. ‘Nuff said. If you’re in
town and you miss it, you might want
to get your ears and eyes checked.
(14:00, from Vatnsmýrarvegur to Ar-
narhóll hill)
Sunday, August 10
There will be fun for the whole fam-
ily on Viðey Island at the Rainbow
Family Festival. Baldvin encourages
you to come even if you’re just a kid
at heart but don’t have any yourself.
The Association of Queer Parents is
happy to welcome everyone to Viðey.
(Ferry departures from Skarfabakki
Harbour every 60 minutes begin-
ning at 11:15, festival begins at 14:30
on Viðey, FREE!—except for the cost
of the ferry)
Baldvin Kári’s
Top Tips For A
Very Merry Pride
25The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 11 — 2014