New Podcast About Trans People In Iceland Launches

If you’re trans and want to hear what trans folks in Iceland are experiencing, or if you’re not trans but want to learn more about the trans experience in general, then we have the podcast for you.

GayIceland has announced the launch of Trans Land, which begins with a four-part series and is hosted by Ugla Stefanía Kristjönudóttir Jónsdóttir, where they intend to “explore issues connected to trans-related health care, young trans people, non-binary people, and the history of the trans movement in Iceland and how things have rapidly changed in recent decades,” as they told GayIceland.

“In this four part series I got guests to speak on a wide range of topics,” Ugla explains. “I wanted to explore some of the issues we often hear about in the media. This led me to exploring trans related health care, both for adults and for teenagers. I also spoke with non-binary people about their experiences, but as anyone who speaks Icelandic knows, the language is incredibly binary and hasn’t always been accommodating for diversity in terms of gender. I also spoke with the first public trans person in Iceland about her experiences, and how the climate has changed from when she came out in the 90’s until now.”

All the podcasts but the last one are in English, and Ugla underlines the importance of the podcast by pointing out that “Trans people often don’t get to share their experiences, and we so often see news or articles about trans people, without their input. This series gives trans people a chance to talk about their issues with someone who is also a part of the community.”

Ultimately, the hope here is to give other trans people a sense of solidarity, but also to boost education and understanding.

“Hopefully it will not only reach other trans people, but the wider queer community and society in general, that will get a chance to listen to trans people talk about their experiences honestly and openly,” they said. “As a trans person myself, I hope that people see that I bring something to the table which hosts that aren’t trans don’t – they don’t have the in depth experiences that I do, and therefore I can have conversations with other trans people on a different level, and we can be open and honest about our experiences without being afraid of being misunderstood or having to explain ourselves. I also bring in my own perspective and often share my experiences, and I hope people will see the importance of trans people developing trans related content.”

You can listen to the first episode of Trans Land here: