Unlike many parts of the world where gay pride month is June, in Iceland, August is when the rainbow colors and flags shine. As the gay pride weekend is always set to be the second weekend of every August, this year on Saturday, 17th, Aug 2019 it marked the 20th anniversary of Reykjavik Pride - a parade and celebration of diversity in an open society. Icelanders have shaped their nation to embrace differences and diversities, but the achievement didn’t come this far overnight.
The Icelandic society wasn't as open as today. Now when international media refers to Iceland as “an LGBTQ+ friendly country,” and anecdotes all the politician figures who are open about their orientation, it makes such a flattering image for Iceland as if it’s the most progressive society in the world. Ást ert ást. Love is love. Iceland is indeed a very open society for the LGBTQ community, today, whereas the timeline below journeys back to 1869 when the law that criminalized same-sex sexual relations came into effect in Iceland.
Take a look at this story map listing all the countries and regions so far that legalized same-sex marriage, along with other rights.