Reykjavík Grapevine - 26.08.2016, Blaðsíða 16

The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 13 — 2016
16
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I have cried more tears into my
keyboard over the past few months
than I care to count. My recent trip
to the US was a tragedy sandwich,
with mass shootings in Orlando
and Dallas as the bread and a suc-
cession of police killing unarmed
black men as the filling. I am the
kind of person who loves to over-
analyse problems and fix things.
Usually, this is an excellent coping
mechanism for life’s stresses, but
the recent deluge of hate, fear, and
violence is too much for even me
to process. So, I just ugly-sob oc-
casionally to ward off the feelings
of generalised anxiety and sense
that humanity is fucked. We aren’t
fucked, actually. How do I know that
humanity is going be okay? Because
of Reykjavík Pride. That’s how.
Teachable moments
People from other countries might
be surprised to learn that Pride
in Iceland is a family affair. The
streets downtown are packed with
people of all ages, from all walks
of life. There is a lot of smiling and
waving and hugging. Pride is a big
party, and everyone is invited to
join the fun. We paint rainbows
on our faces and bust out the big
colourful feather boas and move
along to the loud thumping dance
music. My kids dance in the glitter
from the cannon on Páll Óskar’s
float. They asked last year why we
were celebrating. I explained that in
the olden days, people were bullied
for loving folks of the same gender.
They agree that was dumb, and my
daughter says she might want to
marry her best friend when they are
bigger and they can be wives to each
other, because it is fine for women
to marry women or for men to mar-
ry men. She’s six. She gets it.
I reflect on the rhetoric I heard
about homosexuality growing up
in the United States. There was
so much vitriolic anger, so much
blind animosity and abuse. Grow-
ing up in Iceland, my kids won’t
be boiled in a stew pot of hateful
homophobia. They were both born
in a country led by a lesbian prime
minister. They will watch and wave
this weekend when their new presi-
dent walks alongside many of our
friends in the Gay Pride parade.
The long road to
social change
A generation ago, a few courageous
souls stood up against monstrous
hate and demanded equality. Prog-
ress takes time. It takes determi-
nation and bravery. I watched that
change take place, and it is still
ongoing in most of the world. The
fight is far from over. In this case, as
in many others, Iceland is a beacon
of hope. We are getting this right,
and I hope the world is watching.
Those heroic people who sacrificed
their dignity—and in some cases
their lives—to change a society
they knew was wrong should be
an inspiration to all of us who are
fed up with the normalization of
hatred. Hating the “other” doesn’t
lead anywhere happy. Empathy, cu-
riosity, and love do. Reykjavík Pride
is a testament to the triumph of our
whole society. We celebrate because
Iceland, as a society and a nation,
changed its mind. One mind at a
time, person by person, Icelanders
did the calculation in their brains
and hearts and arrived at the right
conclusions. We decided that our
differences are for embracing, that
people should be free to live their
lives as fully as possible, and all of
us are better when we can be our
true selves.
I go to Reykjavík Pride every year
because I am proud of us. For me,
Pride is a celebration of human-
ity’s ability to evolve. Pride reminds
me that change is possible, though
it takes monumental courage and
much more patience than I usually
have. Love will always win!
I Need PrideOPINION
Words MARY FRANCES DAVIDSON Photo ART BICNICK