GAY ICELAND
Stonewall Bar in 1969 has become a massive and ever-growing celebration of pride and community throughout the world. The big cities get the most attention – places like New York, San Francisco, and London. Amsterdam has its annual gay canal parade. Berlin has its enormous Christopher Street Day parade and street festival. But these are but the tip of the iceberg, as pride fests take place in communities large and small throughout the spring and summer.
One of the more recent additions to the pride calendar comes from Iceland. It’s a weekend of parties, cultural events, and, of course, a grand parade on Sunday afternoon, which ends in the center of the city with a gala program of speeches and international entertainment.
![](<BlogInfo:URL />/images/39531-36457/asmundur.jpeg”><BR><BR><BR><IMG src=)
![](<BlogInfo:URL />/images/39531-36457/boys_iceland_5.jpeg”><BR><FONT size=2><br />
<P>The gay movement began later than most in this small nation of 280,000 inhabitants. <BR>Iceland’s national gay right organization, Samtokin 78 was formed in 1978, and has worked <BR>tirelessly ever since. </P><br />
<P>Gay marriage is a legal fact of life, and gay folk live side by side with straights in quiet harmony. <BR>There remain pockets of anti-gay conservatism, especially out in the sparsely populated rural villages. <BR>And there are issues still to resolve. But the fact remains, this country has seen one of the swiftest societal attitude adjustments in the world. </P><br />
<P>In 1999, a group of 1500 attended Iceland’s first pride celebration. Last year, between 25 and 30 <BR>thousand people showed up to participate or to watch. <BR>That’s a solid 10 percent of the nation’s population! </P></FONT><BR><BR><IMG src=)
![](<BlogInfo:URL />/images/39531-36457/73497019_64d6b3cd99.jpeg” width=348><BR><BR><BR><FONT size=2><br />
<P>Drink beer in an elegant café. Shop in the boutiques that line Laugavegur, the main commercial thoroughfare. Swim in a geothermal pool. Visit the Rainbow café at </FONT><FONT size=2>Samtokin 78</FONT><FONT size=2>. Dance with your shirt off until 6 a.m. at the </FONT><FONT size=2>Spotlight Club</FONT><FONT size=2>. And, perhaps, spend a romantic interlude with someone who claims Vikings as ancestors!</P><br />
<P> </P><br />
<P>One of the delights of a visit to Reykjavik is bathing in one of the many thermal pools, filled with geothermally heated water, which are found in every district of the city. Abundant resources of <BR>geothermal springs mean that the pools are always pleasantly warm, whatever the weather. <BR>Most pools are open-air. All have outdoor whirlpools or ‘hot-pots’ to bask in before or after swimming, <BR>and most have waterslides for the young (and young at heart).</P></FONT><BR><IMG src=)
![](<BlogInfo:URL />/images/39531-36457/129531567_e235b45ee0.jpeg”></p>
<div class=)