The theme of Reykjavik Pride this year is ‘Our History’ – the history of queer people. We look back and think about how the past has shaped our society and ourselves. In Iceland our history is still largely unwritten, but it lives within us; in the stories we tell about ourselves and the people around us. These stories are important because those who came before us, their personal and political battles as well as everyday lives, affect the way we live our lives and think today. We should thus respect our history and learn from it.
Yet to move forward one can not dwell in the past for too long. There are still battles to be fought and the horrifying events at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando show that we need to stay on guard and continue the fight against homophobia, transphobia, racism and other prejudices. Our queer community is expanding and we need to work towards increased visibility, respect and human rights of all our siblings.
Diversity and variety is important to the management team of Reykjavik Pride, and our goal is to organise events that appeal to all our guests. We hope that this year’s programme will be no exception therefrom, and that you will meet great people, learn new things about our society and our history, and last but not least: have great fun.
Happy Pride!
– Reykjavik Pride’s management team 2016 –
Eva María Þórarinsdóttir Lange, president
Jón Kjartan Ágústsson, vice president
Gunnlaugur Bragi Björnsson, treasurer
Ásta Kristín Benediktsdóttir, secretary
Vilhjálmur Ingi Vilhjálmsson, board member
