This Year’s Theme Has Been Revealed
In the twilight one can see
The beauty of freedom,
crawling closer
As the night sky drowns
The day torn by words
No one can say – Hush hush
– Með hækkandi sól // Systur
After the long isolation of the last years, we now have the freedom to gather together and unite once more in solidarity. Finally we have the freedom to celebrate our victories and stand together in the fight for human rights, awareness and equality.
The freedom of LGBTQI+ people in Iceland has expanded over the course of the last years and decades; The freedom to be visible and to active participation in society. The freedom to take up space. The freedom to be who you are.
The beauty of a free, diverse society is obvious. However, we know that this beauty cannot be appreciated fully, as we still haven’t reached the highest degree of true freedom. Some groups within the queer community are still struggling and every day, their freedom and beauty is questioned, both in Iceland and abroad.
This year’s theme, Beauty of Freedom, is a phrase that we have borrowed from Systur’s song; Með hækkandi sól. Systur is an Icelandic band, composed of sisters Sigga, Elín and Beta, who represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest in Italy this year. The band has several ties to the queer community and chose to use their platform to highlight the challenges trans youth is facing, during the contest. The writer of the song, Lovísa Elísabet, or Lay Low, is also a member of the queer community herself, and Reykjavík Pride’s organisers felt that the lyrics truly spoke to them. The song is only available in Icelandic, but the lyrics revolve around the rising sun as a metaphor for the freedom on the horizon and the hope of achieving said freedom. The song’s motif is of a 18th or 19th century Iceland woman who was practically enslaved on a farm, but the songs meaning is on point in the context of queer people in today’s society. The freedom is crawling closer, but the drowning night sky that sets us back is never far away.
The importance of solidarity has never been as vital for us as a community. We are not free until all of us are free. Then, and only then, will we get to experience the true beauty of freedom.