Hi, guys and girls and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Vow, time flies by, 2012 is just behind us and we already have a lot of exciting things lining up in 2013. But before we head off to the near future, why not take a stroll down memory lane and remember what 2012 was all about.
Fun is a word that instantly comes to mind. First off all there was The Rainbow Reykjavik Festival in February, organised by LGBT travel and event specialist Pink Iceland. What better way than to kick the year off with a brand new festival involving all kinds of spectacular activities, outdoor adventures, culture, cuisine and the wild nightlife Iceland is famous for. Did you know that The Rainbow Reykjavík Festival was such a success that there’s another one this year. Yeaaah! (But more on that later.)
We had only just recovered from February when the IGLA championships came with a splash in May and June. Just like The Rainbow Reykjavik Festival before it IGLA attracted hundreds of men and women from all around the world making it one of the biggest sports events in Iceland. But IGLA wasn’t just about sports. There were also concerts, guided tours and a looot of parties.
Then there were of course the annual The Pride festivities in August – where it’s roughly estimated that around 100.000 people showed up to participate in the Parade itself. This year politics played a huge part in the Parade. First of all Anna Kristjánsdóttir, the first Icelander to undergo gender reassignment, was awarded for her long time contribution to the LGBT cause.
One of the things that will surely be remembered about Pride is an empty floater with a strong message: “For our friends who don’t have the freedom to celebrate gay pride.” Reminding us how privileged Icelanders have become and how much is still to be fought for in the world.
And of course there was the mayor of Reykjavík who never went to university and played in a punk band. The word wonderful doesn’t do justice to Jón Gnarr. Not only did he show up in the Pride dressed like one of the members of russian band Pussy Riot. He also wrote an open letter to the mayor of Moscow urging him to lift the ban of Gay Pride, took part in the Gay Pride in the Faroe Islands and is now rooting for Out Games to be held in Reykjavík in the year 2017.
Oh, and did we mention he that met up with Lady Gaga dressed like a Jedi Knight in October. Which was very becoming seeing that Yoko Ono was awarding Gaga with a peace award.
When the world was outraged with plans to legislate an anti-gay bill involving death penalty in Uganda, the Minister for foreign affairs Össur Skarphéðinsson said the that the Icelandic government would do everything in it’s power to prevent it. Thankfully the bill was dropped. For now.
Many of us were very happy last year when the newly appointed bishop of Iceland, Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir, said she was pro gay-marriage. However some were just as unhappy when the bishop added it should be up to the priests themselves if they wanted to wed gay couples.
The LGBT Choir was very prominent in 2012, a LGBT golf club was founded, we got two brand new clubs, Gay 46 and Kjallarinn, a visit from Bears on Ice (not talking about polar bears if you were wondering), a huge demand from gay couples wishing to tie the knot and our fair share of celebrities.
Local LGBT artists made 2012 an unforgettable year. Musicians Daníel Oliver and Friðrik Ómar released new music, filmmakers Erlingur Óttar Thoroddsen and Gísli Rúnar Harðarson surprised us with remarkable projects, actor Felix Bergsson showed his play The Perfect Equal and Kristín Ómarsdóttir published a novel (to be detailed later in an interview with the writer). Believe us when we say, this isn’t even half of all the talented people out there who helped us have a great time.
So all in all a brilliant year indeed. Fun, colorful, political and full of surprises.