Hinsegin dagar í Reykjavík - 01.08.2022, Síða 3

It’s time for Reykjavik Pride! This year’s
theme, ‘Beauty of Freedom’, is borrowed
from ‘Með hækkandi sól’ (e. With the
rising sun), by our one and only Lay Low,
which was Iceland's entry to Eurovision
2022. The theme not only refers to the
freedom to gather and reunite after
the loneliness and isolation of the past
two years, but also to the beauty of an
open, diverse, and free society. Freedom
has been in the focus of the Icelandic
LGBTQIA+ community for a long time.
Almost three decades ago, brave queer
people marched the streets of Reykjavik
and demanded basic human rights in a
small, hostile society.

In recent years, a lot has been achieved.
However, the beauty of human diversity
is still not fully celebrated. Full freedom
has not been achieved and every
day the beauty and freedom of the
LGBTQIA+ community is under attack.
An attack on one of us is an attack
on all of us and we were all deeply
shocked in June when queer individuals
were murdered outside the London
Pub in Oslo. At the same time, we see
alarming signs of increased harassment
and violence against our community
here in Iceland. These clear signs of a
setback in our struggle for human rights
and respect must be taken seriously
and acted immediately. Protective
legislation must be further strengthened
and education on all levels needs to be
significantly improved.

Visibility, role models and documenting
our story are crucial and that’s where
Reykjavik Pride and this magazine play
a key role. At Reykjavik Pride, queer
history, culture and arts, LGBTQIA+
people and their struggles, are in the
absolute forefront. For many years,
Reykjavik Pride Magazine has been
the single regular publication on queer
history and society in Iceland. The
historical value of each issue is therefore
enormous. We take our role seriously
and proudly present this 2022 issue, and
the Pride programme in full.

Happy Reykjavik Pride!

Gunnlaugur Bragi Björnsson,
President of Reykjavik Pride
Bjarndís Helga Tómasdóttir,
Editor-in-chief