LGBTQ+ rights in Iceland: Marriage for all and the world's first LGBT prime minister

Iceland is an island country in northern Europe. It is famous for its volcanoes, traditional belief in elves and a parliament that is over a thousand years old. But how are LGBT+ people doing here?

Iceland achieved a world first in 2009: It appointed the first openly LGBT+ person to the post of prime minister, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir . A year later, when the country legalized marriage for all, Jóhanna married Jónína Leósdóttir, with whom she had been living in a registered partnership until then.

And how did Iceland actually manage to push through universal marriage? Registered partnerships began operating in the country as early as 1996, and over time, registered partnerships began to gain more rights. However, the revolutionary step came only in the 2000s, when the local parliament approved universal marriage : there were 49 in favor, none against.

The law on changing official gender based on self-determination , i.e. without the need to undergo castration, hormone treatment or legal proceedings, had a similar outcome. 45 people present voted in favor and again no one was against.

It is also important that Iceland recognizes not only male and female, but also neutral official genders . On the other hand, intersex children are still not protected from cosmetic surgery on their genitals. Will this ever change? Even the elves there probably don't know about it...