Walking Through Iceland’s Queer History with Ugla Stefanía.
Every August, thousands of people fill the streets of Reykjavík for what has become one of Iceland’s biggest cultural celebrations. The Reykjavík Pride Parade is colourful, joyful and widely embraced across society. But behind today’s celebration lies a history that many people no longer know.
On August 6, gender studies scholar and LGBTQ+ specialist Ugla Stefanía Kristjönudóttir Jónsdóttir will guide a free evening walk through downtown Reykjavík titled “From the Freedom March to the Pride Parade”. Rather than retracing the route of today’s parade, the walk explores how Iceland’s Pride movement began, why it looked very different in the early 1990s, and why remembering that history matters more than ever.
“It will be a chance for people to learn a little bit about the history of Pride and pride marches, and to get insight into how the queer movement got to where we are,” Ugla says. “Hopefully it will allow people to learn a bit more about queer history, and help remind them of how hard we had to fight for the place that we’re in now.”
I think Reykjavík Pride is one of the best Prides in the entire world, if I’m honest.
From protest to celebration
The title of the walk reflects that journey. The first Pride marches in Iceland were not called Pride at all. In 1993 and 1994 they were known as Frelsisganga homma og lesbía or The Freedom March for Gays and Lesbians. Participants marched to demand workplace protections, challenge discrimination and call for greater visibility in Icelandic society.
Today’s parade carries a very different name: Gleðigangan, which in English would be translated as The Joy Parade, though it is known as the Reykjavík Pride Parade.
“I’m going to talk a little bit about how Pride has evolved, what has been achieved and how this translates into the Pride we know today,” Ugla explains.
The transformation reflects decades of activism that gradually shifted Iceland from a country where LGBTQIA+ people fought to be seen to one where Pride has become a national celebration. Yet, as Ugla stresses, that evolution should never erase the movement’s roots.
“Pride needs to be both”
One of the central questions the walk raises is how Pride can remain a celebration while acknowledging that many LGBTQIA+ people still experience discrimination.
“It’s a tricky balance,” Ugla says. “On one hand you don’t want the focus to constantly be about hardship, oppression and trauma, but you also cannot forget those things because that’s the lived reality of so many queer people.”
She points to growing hostility toward LGBTQIA+ communities across the world, including Iceland, as a reminder that progress cannot be taken for granted.
“We also need spaces where we can celebrate, find joy in who we are, and remember the good things about being queer and about life,” she says. “We are fortunate and privileged to be living in Iceland where we do have a lot more freedom and acceptance within society, but that doesn’t mean things are great all the time.”
For Ugla, Pride’s identity has always depended on holding these two realities together.
“Pride needs to remember the roots of Pride, which was a protest against oppression, while also remembering joy, celebration and coming together as a community.”
Places where history happened
Throughout the walk, participants will stop at locations connected to Reykjavík’s queer history. Each tells a different chapter of Iceland’s LGBTQIA+ movement.
One stop has a particular personal meaning for Ugla, the Icelandic Parliament building Alþingi (pronounced Althingi). She was part of the group that helped draft Iceland’s landmark Gender Autonomy Act, adopted by Alþingi in 2019. The legislation became an international milestone for transgender and non-binary rights and remains one of the achievements she is most proud of.
“As someone who worked for a very long time on this act with a devoted group of people, I am particularly proud of what we achieved,” she says.
I’m going to talk a little bit about how Pride has evolved, what has been achieved and how this translates into the Pride we know today.
Why Reykjavík Pride still feels different
Ugla first joined Reykjavík Pride after moving to the capital from northern Iceland around 2011. At the time, there were no Pride parades elsewhere in the country. Although she admits she has never loved large crowds, attending Pride abroad changed her perspective on Reykjavík’s celebration.
“Prides there are much larger and much more corporate, where you have float after float advertising a company of some sort,” she says of her experiences in the UK. “That doesn’t feel like Pride at all to me.”
One of the qualities she values most about Reykjavík Pride is its community focus.
“Here in Reykjavík corporations are not allowed in the parade, and that gives it a much more authentic grassroots feeling and a focus on what matters.”
Her conclusion is unequivocal. “I think Reykjavík Pride is one of the best Prides in the entire world, if I’m honest.”
Queer people have always been around and I mean always.
Our fight is not over
While Reykjavík Pride has retained its grassroots character, Ugla believes its political dimension has become increasingly visible in recent years. As anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric has intensified internationally, Iceland’s queer movement has responded by placing renewed emphasis on activism and solidarity.
“There’s been more of a focus on raising awareness of increased discrimination in Iceland,” she says. “There’s also been more of a focus on solidarity across different movements, in particular with the women’s movement, disability movement, movements that fight racism and xenophobia, and support for Palestine.
We are all so much stronger together, and our fight for equity and justice intersects massively across the board.”
Remembering what it took
Ultimately, Ugla hopes participants leave the walk with a deeper appreciation of how recently many of Iceland’s achievements were won.
“People in Iceland often don’t really think about what it took to get to where we are,” she says. “People sort of just take it for granted, and think that everything is great here and has been for a long time. But the reality is a lot more complex.”
The walk is also an act of preservation.
“Queer history has so often been erased, destroyed or forgotten,” Ugla says. “Our stories and history rarely gets told in the mainstream, and we need to hold onto those stories and preserve them for future generations.”
She ends on a note that is both reflective and hopeful. “Queer people have always been around and I mean always. Queer people in Iceland are a part of Icelandic culture, and we should be proud of that.”
The walk begins on Thursday, August 6th, at 20:00, on the corner of Lindargata and Frakkastígur, where the first community centre of The National Queer Association of Iceland (Samtökin ’78) once stood. The tour will be conducted in Icelandic. Duration: approximately 1½ hours. Everyone is warmly welcome. For more info, click HERE.
This walk is part of the Evening Walks series, organized by the Reykjavík City Library, the Reykjavík City Museum, and the Reykjavík Art Museum.
The Evening Walks take place on Thursday evenings from 20:00–21:30 throughout the summer months and are free of charge for all participants.