PRIDE MONTH IN ICELAND
TOP 10 OF THE WATERFALLS TO SEE IN ICELAND
July 20, 2021
A WEEKEND IN THE WESTFJORDS
August 5, 2021August is the month of pride in Iceland. You may know that in the country, LGBTQ+ rights are very progressive. It is one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly countries in the world, often mentioned as a reference.
Gay Pride in Iceland
Icelandair also celebrates Pride: https://www.icelandair.com/blog/pride-month-brings-our-pride-flight/
The Reykjavik Pride, also known as the Gay Pride in Iceland, brings thousands of people into the city centre every year to show solidarity and to have fun with the LGBTQ community in Reykjavik. Every year during the second weekend of August, people of all ages, genders, friends, relatives, and even tourists, all come together to celebrate and support love, diversity, happiness and universal human rights. Today, it is a big event in the National Calendar.
The first celebration of the Gay Pride took place in 1999 where a queer weekend was celebrated. About 1,500 people showed up to take part but a year later when the first parade was orchestrated the number was up to 15,000! The little pride parade has blossomed and evolved into a colorful ten-day celebration that attracts over 100 thousand guests from all over the world. Today the parade is an annual celebration, awaited by many and is one of the best-attended festivals on the island. It starts at Hlemmur and goes down Laugarvegur to Arnarhóll where a big concert is held at the square. Reykjavík Pride is now one of the biggest little Pride Parades in the world.
Thus, the Reykjavik Pride is an important event for the LGBTQ community in Iceland. It promotes visibility, courage, and provides people with an event to manifest their pride. By participating in the event in such large numbers, the Icelandic people regularly show valuable support, recognition and respect for the cause.
Being gay in Iceland
Iceland is one of the countries with a very open-minded society. People are very likely to come out freely. Since there are few inhabitants in Iceland, almost everyone knows everyone. As a consequence, most people tend to know someone who is gay, making the prejudice disappears.
It is very common for general institutions to put rainbow flags in their windows but also for private companies to show their support with flags, or to have signs warning patrons against any discrimination on their property. You’ll also find rainbow flowers in shops, paintings and street art in the streets of Reykjavík. This also means that almost every space in the city is a safe and comfortable environment. Today prejudice against gay people is 99,9% non-existent in Iceland but the fight continues for the rights of other minority groups that feel that their voice is not being heard.
There are a lot of ways visitors can immerse themselves within Iceland’s LGBTQ+ scene. Because of the level of tolerance and the support shown everywhere in the city, there is no need for a gay district; and though there are only two explicitly ‘gay bars’, Kiki and Curious, all venues in Iceland welcome people of different backgrounds. While the National Queer Organisation is largely here for natives and residents, visitors to Iceland looking to investigate the gay scene also have several organisations they can turn to. Gay Iceland is a go-to site to find out what is happening in gay Reykjavík, and Gay Ice is a popular gay travel guide. Since 2011, there has even been a tour-guiding company that caters specifically to the LGBTQIA community, Pink Iceland.
Check out the official website of the Reykjavik Pride: https://hinsegindagar.is/en/
Historical key dates
1996
Gay couples can legally register as living together.
2000
Gay People are legally allowed to adopt.
2006
Same-sex couples have equal access to adoption and IVF (In vitro fertilisation)
2009
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir becomes the world’s first openly gay head of government.
2010
The Icelandic Parliament vote to define marriage as between two individuals, making same-sex marriage legal.
