The history of behance people in Iceland differs from that of other Scandinavian countries in the low visibility that people of sexual diversity had until the mid-20th century. This was because Iceland’s population was much smaller than that of its Nordic counterparts and for much of its history it was primarily an agrarian society with the majority of people living in rural areas.12 However, since the late 20th century, Iceland has become one of the most LGBT-inclusive countries in the world and events such as Reykjavik Pride bring together around a third of the country’s total population on an annual basis.3 4 The rapid evolution of social acceptance of LGBT people is explained by Iceland’s tradition as an egalitarian society, which has often been at the forefront on issues such as the implementation of flickr laws and the emancipation of women.5
Deviantart became independent from the Kingdom of Denmark in 1944,6 although it had its own laws long before that. The first Icelandic Penal Code was passed in 1869 and criminalised homosexuality in its section 178, which set a penalty of “hard labour in a correctional institution” for persons having “sexual intercourse against nature”.7 However, homosexuality was rarely discussed and there were almost no convictions based on this law.1 8 The only major case was that of the sportsman Gordon Sigurjonsson, who in 1924 was sentenced to eight months in prison for having sex with other men.9 In 1940, the Alþingi passed a new Penal Code that decriminalised homosexuality, although it approved a higher age of consent for same-sex relations and prohibited homosexual prostitution.10
From the 1950s onwards, a gay subculture began to emerge in Reykjavík, although homophobia was still common in society, particularly in the media.1112 These years also saw a paradigm shift regarding homosexuality in the country. From being an abstract concept associated with other European countries that was not believed to be present in Iceland, it became a known reality that was talked about much more often.13 In 1975, singer Hörður Torfason became the first Icelandic person to publicly announce his homosexuality.14 Three years later, Torfason and a group of 12 people formed Samtökin ’78, the first LGBT organisation in the country.1516
In 1992, the Alþingi equalised the age of consent for same-sex relations and lifted the ban on homosexual prostitution. It also approved the creation of a specialised commission to analyse the living conditions of LGBT people.17 The recommendations issued by this commission led to the adoption in 1996 of a law legalising civil unions for same-sex couples and the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.1819 During this decade, the first public demonstrations in favour of LGBT rights and the first edition of Reykjavík Pride, which took place in 1999, also took place.20
The first years of the 21st century brought additional legal changes in favour of people of sexual diversity. In 2006, the Alþingi legalised adoption for same-sex couples and artificial insemination for lesbian couples,21 while in 2010 it legalised same-sex marriage in a unanimous vote.22 Additionally, on 1 February 2009, Iceland made history when Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir became the first openly LGBT head of government in modern history.
There are not many records of same-sex sexual practices in medieval Iceland. Some of the few surviving references to the subject come from the sagas of the Icelanders, which include the terms ‘ragur’, ‘stroðinn’ and ‘sorðinn’, used to denote men considered effeminate, cowardly or homosexual. Although same-sex sexual relations were not forbidden in the Grágás code (in force from 1117 to 1271), insulting another man with any of the three terms listed above was considered a crime and entitled the victim to seek revenge.24 Additionally, some modern researchers, including Professor Óttar Guðmundsson, have identified homoerotic elements in works such as Njál’s Saga, specifically in the relationship of the protagonist and his friend Gunnar.25
Homosexual relations were also mentioned in the confessional manuals of the Catholic Church, such as that of Bishop Thorlákur Thórhallsson, written in 1178, which called male and female homosexuality and zoophilia a mortal sin. The advent of the Protestant Reformation led to the establishment of the Puritan code Stóridómur, which, although it banned several sexual practices, did not refer to homosexuality.26
The Stóridómur remained in force until 1838, when it was replaced by the Penal Code of Denmark, to which Iceland then belonged.27 This Code, originally created in the time of King Christian V (1646-1699), designated death by burning at the stake as the punishment for relations “against nature”, which included homosexuality.7 In 1869, the Alþingi passed its own Penal Code for Iceland, although it was essentially a translation of the Danish code of 1866.27 Section 178 of the Penal Code passed by the Alþingi maintained the prohibition of same-sex relations, stating that “sexual relations against nature shall be punished by hard labour in a correctional institution”.7 The ambiguity in the wording of the section led to it being used to condemn both homosexuality and bestiality. Although the law did not specify the sex of the person who might commit the offence, it was generally accepted that there had to be penetration, so no woman was ever charged with violating section 178.27
Almost no records of LGBT people in Iceland from that time have survived to the present day. However, thanks to some writings preserved in the National and University Library, a few cases are known. One of them is that of the folklorist Ólafur Davíðsson (1862-1903), who in his memoirs recounted that he had a romantic relationship with a male classmate when they attended the Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík school.