On Sunday, February 1, Iceland made history, rather quietly, swearing in as Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, the world’s first ever openly gay head of state.
Sigurdardottir became Prime Minister after the ruling coalition collapsed and then-leader Geir Haarde resigned. Sigurdardottir will act as Prime Minister until an election is held in May 2009, and her appointment has been widely reported as not only historic, but critical to the future of Iceland as the country’s economy has been hit especially hard by the global financial crisis.
Sigurdardottir was elected to Iceland’s Parliament in 1978, after earning a reputation as a union organizer when she was a flight attendant for Loftleidir Airlines. When PM Haarde resigned, Sigurdardottir was viewed as the natural choice to secede him, due to both her high ratings and her status as the longest-serving MP.
Over the course of her political career, Sigurdardottir has established herself as a solidly left-of-centre politician with a record of defending the disadvantaged. In addressing Iceland’s economic crisis, Sigurdardottir announced at a press conference that she would lead a ‘welfare administration.’ She has since replaced the central bank directors and opened discussion on Iceland’s admission into the European Union.
Sigurdardottir, however, is not a vocal gay activist. Though she entered a civil partnership in 2002 with writer Jonina Leosdottir, who is listed on the parliamentary website as Sigurdardottir’s partner, Sigurdardottir has never publicly commented on her sexuality or personal relationship.
In an article in Time, Frosti Jonsson, chairman of Icelandic GLBT rights group Samtokin 78 said Sigurdardottir’s silence on her personal life is because, ‘being gay is not an issue in Iceland. There are so many openly gay prominent figures in both the public and private sector here that it doesn’t affect who we select for our highest offices. Our minds our focused on what counts, which is the current situation in the country.’
Iceland has liberal attitudes and progressive laws towards homosexuality. Civil unions have been legal since 1996 and gay couples are given equal treatment in adoption cases.
