The climax of Reykjavík Pride, the Pride March, was held on Saturday and welcomed a massive turnout, reports RÚV.
Starting from only about 1,000 people at the first march, the large turnout of both participants and guests indicates the progress of LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance in Iceland.
“This is a very important day for all of us,” says Helga Margrét Marzellíusdóttir. “Visibility is always an issue and thankfully there are a lot of people here right now celebrating with all the queer people and all the rainbow.”
The march included performances by several artists, with Bjarni Snæbjörnsson as the featured singer. Floats were filled with people dancing and colorful costumes.
However, even with the large turnout at the march this year, singer and campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights, Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson says many are worried about backlash to the campaign and highlights the importance of including trans people in campaigns.
“All the focus is now on trans people and genderqueer people. For them, I’m hearing exactly the same verbal abuse that I got thirty years ago,” says Páll.
Páll believes education and solidarity are keys to the fight against hate.
“Unfortunately, we’re seeing [hate speech] more and more on social media. That’s why we have to educate people more, stand together, and show solidarity in action, as happened today and it was magnificent,” says Páll.
Read more about transphobia in Iceland in our recent cover story.
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