Iceland as culturally related Scandinavia, is a very liberal country concerning gay rights. The majority of the public is supportive of homosexuality, and gay pride parades are held every August.
Iceland is an isolated nation with fewer than 300,000 inhabitants; 80% of its barren and volcanic land is unpopulated. But surprisingly, there is a vibrant Icelandic gay scene largely unknown to the rest of the world. This is due mainly to Iceland’s lack of contact with other countries. “Exposure of foreigners to this unique country and its gay lives and culture is virtually non-existent.
Iceland’s gay scene in the ’70s was a time when if you ran into another gay person, it was by sheer coincidence. “If you happened to find someone who was gay, then you were more or less sure he would go to bed with you because the pressure was so great then.” It was not a question of cruising or being in love. Iceland’s capital and currently home to over 60% of the country’s population, served back then as a common gay meeting place, the city with a “friendly village feel” was the scene of the discos and nightlife in the ’70s that fostered Iceland’s emerging gay scene.
Today, meeting other gays is easier and no longer a matter of pure luck. The Icelandic community is open. “Icelanders are getting more accepting of gay people and more people have come out of the closet.
In 1978, the formation of Iceland’s first gay social club changed the scene forever. Samtökin 78 (www.samtokin78.is) became Iceland’s first gay and lesbian centre. It began as an organization that simply brought gays and lesbians together; it would grow to become Iceland’s central resource centre for queers. Hrafnkell Stefánsson, Samtökin’s office director, takes pride in his work: “We are Iceland’s biggest gay organization.” Both social and political in purpose, the organization offers a meeting place for local and foreign queers. It offers an extensive on-site library, a bar and meetings for gay youth. With almost 400 members, the organization receives support from the Icelandic and Reykjavik governments.
Laws governing Homosexuality were repealed in 1940. There is an equal age of consent set at 15.
Civil union for gay and lesbian couples were introduced in Iceland in 1996.
The legislation grants the full range of protections, responsibilities and benefits as marriage, and is only available to same-sex couples. A registered partner can adopt the other partner’s child, unless the child is adopted from a foreign country. All parties in Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, were in favour of the law; only one member of the conservative Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) voted against it.
On June 2, 2006 the Parliament voted for legislation granting the same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexuals in adoption, parenting and assisted insemination treatment. No member of the parliament voted against the proposal. The law came into effect on June 27, 2006. [1]
A law amendment which took force on June 27, 2008 allows the Church of Iceland and other religious groups to bless same-sex registered partnerships.[2]
A government committee is currently looking into allowing same-sex partners to get married.
Iceland is an isolated nation with fewer than 300,000 inhabitants; 80% of its barren and volcanic land is unpopulated. But surprisingly, there is a vibrant Icelandic gay scene largely unknown to the rest of the world. This is due mainly to Iceland’s lack of contact with other countries. “Exposure of foreigners to this unique country and its gay lives and culture is virtually non-existent.
Iceland’s gay scene in the ’70s was a time when if you ran into another gay person, it was by sheer coincidence. “If you happened to find someone who was gay, then you were more or less sure he would go to bed with you because the pressure was so great then.” It was not a question of cruising or being in love. Iceland’s capital and currently home to over 60% of the country’s population, served back then as a common gay meeting place, the city with a “friendly village feel” was the scene of the discos and nightlife in the ’70s that fostered Iceland’s emerging gay scene.
Today, meeting other gays is easier and no longer a matter of pure luck. The Icelandic community is open. “Icelanders are getting more accepting of gay people and more people have come out of the closet.
In 1978, the formation of Iceland’s first gay social club changed the scene forever. Samtökin 78 (www.samtokin78.is) became Iceland’s first gay and lesbian centre. It began as an organization that simply brought gays and lesbians together; it would grow to become Iceland’s central resource centre for queers. Hrafnkell Stefánsson, Samtökin’s office director, takes pride in his work: “We are Iceland’s biggest gay organization.” Both social and political in purpose, the organization offers a meeting place for local and foreign queers. It offers an extensive on-site library, a bar and meetings for gay youth. With almost 400 members, the organization receives support from the Icelandic and Reykjavik governments.
Laws governing Homosexuality were repealed in 1940. There is an equal age of consent set at 15.
Civil union for gay and lesbian couples were introduced in Iceland in 1996.
The legislation grants the full range of protections, responsibilities and benefits as marriage, and is only available to same-sex couples. A registered partner can adopt the other partner’s child, unless the child is adopted from a foreign country. All parties in Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, were in favour of the law; only one member of the conservative Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) voted against it.
On June 2, 2006 the Parliament voted for legislation granting the same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexuals in adoption, parenting and assisted insemination treatment. No member of the parliament voted against the proposal. The law came into effect on June 27, 2006. [1]
A law amendment which took force on June 27, 2008 allows the Church of Iceland and other religious groups to bless same-sex registered partnerships.[2]
A government committee is currently looking into allowing same-sex partners to get married.
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