The Icelandic Independence Party has always guarded the rights of LGBTI+ people, says a city counselor running for congress for party. According to the counselor blood donations and gay sex have even been discussed with in the party.
“The Icelandic Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) is maybe first and foremost known as a conservative party by some people but the party is also a liberal one. That’s a fact that has been missed by a lot of people,” says Hildur Sverrisdóttir, city counselor for the Icelandic Independence Party in Reykjavík, who is also running for congress for the party.
Hildur was a representative for the Icelandic Independence Party at a recent meeting held by the national queer organisation Samtökin ’78, where delegates from all parties running for congress united to hear what issues the organisation focuses on. Hildur became quite the show stopper at the meeting, when she told an amusing anecdote from the recent annual general meeting of her political party.
“Issues of trans and intersex people in the health care system, the fact that gay mothers need to hand in a certificate to the National Register to prove they are parents of a baby and that blood donors should be evaluated on the basis of their state of health – independently of their sexual orientation, were among the topics that were addressed at this last annual general meeting,” says Hildur and goes on to recount her experience of the meeting.
“I thought it was beautiful to witness that in this deep-seated phenomenon that the Icelandic Independence party is, there was for example a long discussion about anal sex to show that this fright of gay men’s sex life – which is why they are not allowed to donate blood – is not well-founded. It was not only interesting to listen to the discussion as a whole but also to watch the older people, who sat there with their coffee and cruller, listen with attention to this dialogue, which was undoubtedly foreign to some of them, and then vote for the motion. I though this was a sign that the world is constantly changing in better and more liberal ways,” says Hildur but emphasizes that this was in no means the first time this sort of discussion takes place at the annual general meeting.
“Rules and regulations can never be so deep-rooted that they stand in the way of human rights and dignity, if there is any doubt about the basis they are built on.”
“Issues of gay people have often been talked about at annual general meetings of the Icelandic Independence Party since they are extremely important.”
Gay men should be able to donate blood
You mentioned the fact that gay men are not allowed to give blood in Iceland because they have sex with other men. Would you like to see that ban lifted?
“I want to see the ban lifted and the Icelandic Independence Party as well. An agreement was made at the general annual meeting stating that the Icelandic Independence Party wants donors to be assessed on the basis of their state of health, independently of their sexual orientation. The Icelandic Independence Party encourages the Icelandic Blood Bank to reconsider their stance on the matter and to not discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation,” says Hildur.
Should the Icelandic Blood Bank then stop following international regulations that ban men, who have sex with other men, from donating blood?
“Rules and regulations can never be so deep-rooted that they stand in the way of human rights and dignity, if there is any doubt about the basis they are built on.”
Hildur goes on to tell me how the Icelandic Independence Party has always guarded the rights of LGBTI+ people, for example by leading the way when it comes to cohabitation and adoption rights for gay people. But why was Hildur chosen to attend the meeting at Samtökin ’78? Are matters of LGBTI+ people dear to her heart?
“Yes, they are. As are all matters where you can say that certain groups do not have the same legal rights as other members of society. Any candidate for the Icelandic Independence Party could have been at that meeting in question. The policy and the stance of the party clearly states that everyone should be equal in face of the law, free from orders and restrictions of the executive power and that diversity thrives best in a free society.”