Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.06.2019, Qupperneq 6

Finally! Food that
is not only for the
brave or fool-
ish. ‘Harðfiskur’,
or dried fish, is
basically super-
food. Research
conducted a few
years ago by Matís
(Iceland’s food
Research, Innova-
tion and Safety
authority) found
that dried fish is
a very rich source
of protein —it’s
actually 80-85%
protein! I can liter-
ally hear the joyful
cries of the Keto-
maniacs. Even the
bodybuilders are
into it.
Also, harð-
fiskur’s amino
acids compare to
the levels found in
eggs. The conclu-
sion was that
proteins in the
dried fish were of
high quality. This
supports the mar-
keting of dried fish
in the health foods
and traditional
food markets.
Harðfiskur
is most often
made of had-
dock, wolffish or
cod. And, despite
being a tradi-
tional Icelandic
food, the method
of making it is
not even that
disgusting. They
fillet the fish and
hang it outside on
special trestles
to dry—before
they do this, they
of course roll it
in salt. We can’t
really flee the
salt-culture of
Iceland. And that’s
actually the only
downer when
it comes to the
health benefits of
harðfiskur; it’s too
salty.
But how does
it taste? Like
goddamn candy.
Roll that sucker in
butter (imagine
the butter is a
dip) and it will be
glorious. Dried
fish is the candy
of the north; you
haven’t lived until
you’ve tried it. But
watch out for that
healthy protein,
it will make you
live a healthy life
forever! VG Ha
rð
fis
ku
r
On May 31st, police reported that
someone had requested police assis-
tance after being assaulted by two men.
The target of the assault was taken to
hospital with some injuries, with police
saying the person was attacked due to
their gender expression, and that police
considered the assault a hate crime.
As Vísir reports, the survivor is
trans woman Candice Aþena Jónsdót-
tir, who told reporters that she was
walking in Árbær, east of Reykjavík,
when she was approached by two men.
They soon became verbally abusive, and
when she objected to the way they were
talking to her, they became angry. After
trying to walk away from the men, they
chased her, with one of them attempt-
ing to kick her in the face.
“Pushing back against
human rights”
She managed to get away, with some
injuries to her hand, and called the
police, but by the time they arrived the
attackers were long gone. Police are
still searching for the suspects.
Ugla Stefanía Kristjönudóttir Jóns-
dóttir, a trans activist and chairper-
son of Trans Ísland, told reporters that
this is not an isolated incident. In fact,
they said, they know of at least two
other recent incidences of transphobic
attacks in Iceland.
“We’re seeing this everywhere in
the world, not least of all with certain
political movements that are actually
on the rise,” they said. “These are politi-
cal movements who are pushing back
against human rights in general, and
naturally trans people are one of the
groups who have been under attack.”
The pending legislation
Ugla says that this reality makes it espe-
cially important that Iceland not narrow
its legal definition of hate speech, as
former Minister of Justice Sigríður Á.
Andersen proposed, and that Parliament
expedites the passage of a bill on gender
identity and expression, which has yet to
be brought to a vote.
“This is because the bill on gender
identity and expression would in itself
be a big step in the fight for the rights of
trans and intersex people in the world,”
they told reporters. “This is our life we’re
talking about, so of course we should be
able to do something about this.”
Trans Person Assaulted,
And Not For The First Time
Chair of Trans Ísland warns of disturbing trend
Words:
Andie Fontaine

Photo:
Sharon Kilgannon
First
What Is
The Bill On
Gender
Identity?
The bill Ugla is referring to is a wide-
ranging piece of legislation aimed at
improving the rights of trans, non-
binary and intersex people. This in-
cludes being able to register your
gender identity as your legal gender
without having to go through months
of interviews with medical profes-
sionals; being able to register your
gender as non-binary (marked as an
“X” in passports); and the adoption
of the “informed consent” model for
trans people to get access to the
medical services they need almost
right away.
The bill, which will be submitted by
the Prime Minister’s office either this
spring or autumn, is likely to pass,
as it is backed by the ruling coali-
tion. While it has been praised as a
step in the right direction, the bill
has also been criticised for not go-
ing far enough. For example, the bill
calls for the formation of a commit-
tee to establish guidelines for pro-
tecting intersex children, instead of
immediately prohibiting unneces-
sary cosmetic surgery performed on
them without their consent. Further,
Iceland’s own Trans Diagnostic Team
objected to the condition that a per-
son can only change their legally reg-
istered gender once, barring special
circumstances, as the team believes
this goes against the spirit of the bill
with its emphasis on the right to gen-
der determination.
How does this relate to reducing
transphobic assaults? In essence:
when the state establishes by law
that a particular marginalised group
are entitled to certain rights and pro-
tections, it tends to have a broader
sociological effect of increased tol-
erance amongst the general popu-
lace. Coupled with Iceland’s existing
hate speech laws, it helps foster an
environment where the message is
clear: intolerance will not be toler-
ated.
6 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 09— 2019
FOOD OF ICELAND
NEWS
Iceland is not a yet safe haven for trans people, sadly
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Volcano &
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80 min drive from Reykjavík
Photo: Eyjafjallajökull Eruption 2010