Páll Óskar says hate speech threatens Iceland’s LGBTQ+ rights

Pride parade organiser and pop star Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson says LGBTQ+ people are facing a surge of abusive language similar to the rhetoric surrounding the AIDS epidemic in 1986, mbl.is reported. He spoke during Saturday’s Pride celebrations, where 50 groups took part, compared with 38 last year.

“I have taken an active part in the parade from the beginning. We held the first organised Pride parade in 2000, but this is only the 25th time it has been held because there was no parade in 2020 or 2021,” Páll Óskar told mbl.is.

He said the parade had generally enjoyed good weather, apart from in 2003 and 2012. Although rain had been forecast this year, conditions improved in the morning, and participants were not deterred by the cold or wind.

Páll Óskar said LGBTQ+ people were again encountering abusive language in online comment sections. He referred to past disputes over flags and warned that allowing such comments to stand could lead to more serious consequences.

“The AIDS panic gave people some kind of licence to target us as well,” he said. “Now I notice rhetoric claiming that the LGBTQ+ struggle has a left-wing political bias, and that this is something people say they disagree with.”

He rejected the idea that sexual orientation or gender identity is political.

“Your sexual orientation and your gender identity are not politics,” Páll Óskar said. “The reactions of other people to this are politics, not what we are.”

He said LGBTQ+ people were present across society and should not be reduced to stereotypes. “We gay men are not only ballerinas and hairdressers. We are also truck drivers and sailors, we run pizza restaurants, and we are nurses, politicians and pop stars,” he said.

Police were present during the parade. Their log said some people had ignored road closures, but no particularly serious incidents were reported between 5am and 5pm.