Gay Guide Iceland

The age of consent for all in Iceland is 15. The Icelandic gay community is small but very active and has achieved broad social acceptance and received many legal rights. Same-sex couples in a registered partnership are allowed to take custody of their partner's children. There are also far-reaching anti-discrimination laws. Since 2010, the Icelandic parliament has opened marriage to homosexuals without a single vote against. From 2009 to 2013, the world's first openly lesbian head of government Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir ruled after the Icelandic prime minister had to resign as a result of the global financial crisis that hit Iceland particularly hard. After the law to open marriage to gays and lesbians came into force, Sigurðardóttir and partner Jónína Leósdóttir were the first couple to get married. Violence against homosexuals has been virtually non-existent in recent years. In addition to the pronounced democratic tradition, another reason could be that almost everyone has homosexual relatives or friends among the small number of Icelanders. A commission set up by the Icelandic Prime Minister has set itself the task of eliminating remaining discriminatory aspects in laws. Since 2006, both adoption and artificial insemination have been permitted for homosexual couples. This makes Iceland one of the most advanced jurisdictions for homosexual matters in the world. Iceland is the second largest island in Europe, but only 338,349 people live here, more than two thirds of them in the capital area of Reykjavik (as of 2017). There is also a Pride every year in August. The landscape is wild, rugged and colourful with black lava rock, red sulphur, hot bluish geysers, waterfalls, rivers, glaciers, fjords and green valleys.