Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.08.2013, Blaðsíða 42

42The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11 — 2013
LANGUAGE - HISTORY - CULTURE - FOOD AND FUN
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The first Reykjavík Gay Pride was held on the 30th an-
niversary of the Stonewall Riots (in June of 1999), and it
more resembled a traditional demonstration march than
the parade it has evolved into. Thankfully, gay rights have
come a long way since 1999, and the event has concur-
rently transformed into total celebration mode, with sev-
eral events happening throughout the weekend, the main
one—a lively parade going past the Reykjavík pond—tak-
ing place on Saturday.
Eva María Þórarinsdóttir Lange, chair of the Reykja-
vík Pride committee, says that one of the reasons why so
many people have joined the cause is because the fight
for gay rights in Iceland has always been a peaceful one.
At no point has the LGBTQI (“lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer
and intersex”) community been physical or engaged in
violent discourse, it has simply been about spreading the
message of love and equality.
“Even in a country like Iceland,
where gay and lesbian rights are
good,” Eva says, “there’s always
a difference between the law and
society.” This is perhaps high-
lighted in the case of gay adoption.
While gay adoption has been legal
for many years, it wasn’t until last
year that two gay Icelandic men
were able to adopt a child. Hav-
ing said that, Eva proclaims that
Iceland is one of the easiest coun-
tries to come out of the closet and
be gay. That doesn’t mean gay
activists should lower their guard,
though, as the tide can turn quite
rapidly.
Not all smiles and joy
Eva tells us the situation can
change very rapidly. Indeed, the
situation is bad in countries all
over the world; there are places
that have no protective laws or
rights to speak of, and even places
where legislation is aimed directly
at oppressing LGBTQI persons.
Eva mentions an interview pub-
lished in Gay Pride’s official bro-
chure, where Kasha Jacqueline
Nabagesera from Uganda tells of
her daily routine, which is dominated by her fear of being
arrested for being lesbian. “In that country they talk about
‘corrective raping’ meant to ‘fix lesbians’ as if it were stan-
dard procedure,” Eva says.
“We have events that are focusing on the situation in
other countries. It’s not just about solidarity with your im-
mediate community, but international solidarity. This year
the emphasis for Reykjavík Pride is on human rights, cul-
ture and diversity.”
Moscow and Manning
Asked about whether the paraders had planned any floats
in support of Russian activists—or in support of gay whis-
tle-blower Bradley Manning—Eva told us nobody had
come forward with an idea to broach these subjects. Reyk-
javík Pride floats and events have
often been highly political, with a
notable entry last year by Reykja-
vík mayor Jón Gnarr, who donned
Pussy Riot garb in protest of the
Russian punk band’s arrest.
“Jón Gnarr has been fan-
tastic with LGBTQI issues, and has
done things that no one else has
done before,” she says. Recently
he condemned the new Russian
laws, and suggested severing
Reykjavík’s partnership with Mos-
cow.
Eva says if a good concept is reg-
istered early enough, the commit-
tee approves them, so long as they
are done the right way. “That’s al-
ways the challenge for the parade
committee—what can you say no
to, and what can you say yes to?
We don’t tell people what floats
to make, but we are responsible
for the message the parade gives
out.”
One float that Eva says she is par-
ticularly proud of comes from the
local trans community. A minority
group within a minority group, she
is proud and happy that the pride
parade provides them a platform
to be seen and heard.
Let’s Celebrate Diversity, Baby!
Gay Pride is back!
The annual Reykjavík Gay Pride festivities start a week from now, and
isn’t that exciting? Yes. Yes it is. It’s safe to say Gay Pride has planted
itself firmly into Icelanders’ cultural identity, the main march event usu-
ally attracting up to 90 thousand people. It is the second largest outdoor
event in Iceland, after Culture Night (which draws a crowd of 100,000).
Gay Scene In
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is a city teeming with
activities and, as Eva says, it’s
one of the easiest places to come
out and be all gay all over the
place. Unfortunately, there are
not many gay-specific venues or
activities out there aside from
what goes on at Reykjavík Pride.
Several gay bars and clubs have
come and gone through the years.
Our queer informant called “deep
throat” says: “You can go to Kíkí
Gay Bar—or go to Öskjuhlíð with
your date—but otherwise there’s
not much gay-specific to do in
Reykjavík. Just go to a normal
mainstream bar and have fun.
Thankfully, there is no need to be
worried about showing personal
displays of affection of any kind
in Iceland. But the gay scene is
quite small in Iceland so new—
and single—faces are always
more than welcome.”
And there you have it kids, you’ll
just have to do the boring things
the rest of us schmucks do.
By Tómas Gabríel Benjamin
Reykjavík Gay Pride is celebrated from August 6 to 11, with the parade happening on August 10.
Check out their full schedule online at www.reykjavikpride.com
Nanna Dís