By Vanessa Buschschluter
Few Icelanders seem concerned about the PM’s sexual orientation
Johanna Sigurdardottir, named as Iceland’s prime minister on Sunday, is the first openly lesbian head of government in Europe, if not the world – at least in modern times.
The 66-year-old’s appointment as an interim leader, until elections in May, is seen by many as a milestone for the gay and lesbian movement.
Up until now, if a gay man or woman has been prime minister, they have done their best to conceal the fact.
In Iceland itself, however, the new prime minister’s sexual orientation appears to be causing less excitement than it is abroad.
What is really historic about this new cabinet, says Skuli Helgeson, the general secretary of Ms Sigurardottir’s Social Democratic Alliance, is not the fact that its leader is a lesbian, but that for the first time in Icelandic history it boasts an equal number of men and women.
“I don’t think her sexual orientation matters. Our voters are pretty liberal, they don’t care about any of that,” he told BBC News.
But not all European countries are as tolerant, says Juris Lavrikovs of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) in Brussels.
There is a huge divide between eastern and western Europe, he says.
“The countries of the former Soviet Union were cut off from some of the social developments which have brought us this far in the past 50 years.
“A pink curtain divides us. And it will probably take a long time for eastern European countries to reach the same level of tolerance,” Mr Lavrikovs says.
However, even in these countries he notes signs of change.
“In Latvia, where I’m from, some of the political parties are approaching gay, lesbian and transgender groups and talking to them about including gay candidates in their party lists,” he says.
No reason to hide
In most of western Europe the coming-out of a politician will still make headlines.
Only last week, Roger Karoutchi became the first French government minister to disclose his homosexuality.
A minister for parliamentary relations, he said he was happy with his male partner and saw no reason to hide it.
But friends of his have been quoted as saying that he came out with the revelation because “attacks by his enemies” left him no choice.
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