Word: sigurdardottir
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...European Difference Europe's political landscape has not always been so welcoming. Thirty years ago, as Sigurdardottir began her political career, "Iceland was extremely homophobic," says Baldur Thorhallsson, a political scientist at the University of Iceland. Education changed that. Over the last 30 years Samtokin '78, a Reykjavik-based gay-rights organization, worked with the national media to produce news programs that gave gay men and women a human face, and acquainted the public with the prejudice gays encounter. Activists visited high schools to create gay role models and counter stereotypes. By 1996 the country had legalized gay civil unions...
When Iceland installed Johanna Sigurdardottir as Prime Minister last February, newspapers around the globe printed variations of the same headline: ICELAND APPOINTS WORLD'S FIRST GAY LEADER. Everywhere, that is, except Iceland. The Icelandic media didn't mention Sigurdardottir's sexuality for days, and only then to point out that the foreign press had taken an interest in their new head of state - a 67-year-old former flight attendant turned politician whom voters had consistently rated Iceland's most trustworthy politician. Sure, she was gay and had entered a civil partnership with another woman in 2002. But Icelanders hardly...
...Iceland, Sigurdardottir now sits at the head of that table. In a country where gay men and women have few battles left to fight, she's thought of first as a politician. That may explain the media's indifference to her sexuality. Some editors in Reykjavik say they ignored it to respect Sigurdardottir's privacy. Thorhallsson, of the University of Iceland, who is himself gay, believes that shows there is still work to be done. "It's a strange claim because she isn't in the closet," he says. "It shows that the media doesn't really know...
...Iceland may cave in to the international pressure. The latest opinion polls suggest a softening of hostility toward the repayment scheme, with 53% of Icelanders against it, down from about 70% last month. This could reflect recent appeals by Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, who is at loggerheads with the President and says the deal is essential for Iceland's recovery. But if Icelanders fall back on the Viking tradition of bold defiance and vote against the plan, this could be one long saga indeed...
...Sigurdardottir, an openly gay former air stewardess, says E.U. membership is the only viable option to anchor Iceland's shattered economy. "I sincerely hope and believe that we will end up with an agreement that will help us create the necessary economic stability, [and] ensure prosperity in the long term for both families and businesses," she added. (Read: "Iceland Picks the World's First Openly...