Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.07.2018, Síða 54

54 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 16— 2018
....OPEN FROM 06:00
The BDSM community has oft been
misunderstood. Those not associated
probably just think of badly written
love interests like Christian Grey or
some dudes in gimp suits running
around whipping each other. The
truth, though, is that BDSM is about
much more than just sex—it involves
relationship building, honesty, and,
above all else, trust. Many practitio-
ners consider it an integral part of
their sexuality, if not the basis of it.
Unfortunately, as the Icelandic BDSM
community discovered, not everyone
agrees.
But is it queer?
Samtökin ’78 is Iceland’s foremost
queer human rights association, hav-
ing fought for the rights of gay and les-
bian folk since its inception.
In 2016, the Icelandic BDSM com-
munity tried to forge a relationship,
called ‘hagsmunaaðild’ with Samtökin.
That meant that, when appropriate,
they would work together. It’s a collabo-
ration that other queer groups, such as
Trans Ísland, Intersex Ísland, and Q-
The Queer Student Association already
had with organisation.
Unfortunately, they had no idea how
controversial this desire would be. Im-
mediately, some members of Samtökin
got angry, arguing that BDSM was not
a sexuality in itself, but rather a kink,
and therefore had no place in the as-
sociation.
Over 2016, there were many open
meetings about the ‘hagsmunaaðild,’
and there, prejudices came out in
full force. Some began to raise ques-
tions about whether bi or trans people
should ever have been included in Sam-
tökin to begin with. It was, to many, an
absurd plea. But it persisted, and at one
meeting, a long-time member took the
podium and frankly told the kinksters,
“Make your own parade.”
For both sides, the conflict became
strongly regarded as a battle between
younger and older members, who had
differing concepts on what “queer”
meant. Tears were shed on both sides
and some older members even re-
nounced their membership.
Aftercare
Eventually, though, BDSM Iceland was
allowed into Samtökin, and the world
didn’t collapse. Samtökin does the
same work they have always done, and
the BDSM community still meets to
discuss fantasies. Two years on, friend-
ships that broke during that time have
been mended.
It’s important to mention that the
BDSM community did not make their
own parade. But seriously, that’d be a
freakin’ cool parade… though maybe
not family-friendly.
CITY SHOT by Art Bicnick
WAR OF THE NERDS
Grab Your
Flogger And
Latex, Weirdos
Are we queer enough for you?
Words:
Hannah Jane
Cohen
Photo:
Art Bicnick
WELL, YOU ASKED
Immigration &
The Gay Agenda
Words: Andie Fontaine
Photo: Art Bicnick
Dear Grapevine,
Who do I sleep with to get my ÚTL
permit sorted in a reasonable
amount of time?
J. Bowe
This is a common misconception.
It’s actually quite simple to get
the Directorate of Immigration to
approve your residence and work
permit in a timely manner. Simply
draw a pentagram into the ground
with your passport under the light
of a full moon, wrap yourself in the
Icelandic flag, face north and chant
“Þetta reddast” in a confident tone.
Eventually, your permit will magically
appear before you. It’s just common
sense.
How do I convince my mum that
homosexuality is not the product
of the hormones fed to chickens in
the 80s, which were in turn fed to
healthy heterosexual children and
turned them gay?
F. Cloé
As a member of the queer community,
I find this shocking and offensive.
Gayness is not the result of genetically
modified chickens. It’s the result
of chemtrails manufactured by
Monsanto and funded by George
Soros and Antifa. And we’re going to
keep right on spraying until the whole
damn world is gay. You can tell your
mum you heard that right from the
source.

Send your unsolvable (UNTIL NOW)
problems to editor@grapevine.is or
tweet us at @rvkgrapevine.
Mom why is the man happily whipping an orc?
The walk of shame