Woo-hoo!! And just in time for LGBT History Month (in Britain and Northern Ireland)! Iceland has indeed named Johanna Sigurdardottir as its new prime minister. Ms Sigurdardottir is Iceland's first female and the world's first openly lesbian head of state - "at least in modern times."
Ms Sigurdardottir is a former flight attendant and union organizer. She has an approval rating of 73 percent, according to her niece Nanna Árnadóttir, who writes at the Iceland Review:
Icelanders honestly don’t give a crap about her sexuality—at this point it’s safe to say we have other things on our minds, i.e. the collapse of our economy and government—yet it is sprawled across almost every headline I can find. Even in front of me on my desk right now is a story in the London Metro with the headline “Lesbian to be named premier”.
And from the BBC:
Ms Sigurdardottir - who has never hidden her sexuality - is, nevetherless, very private about her personal life, never discussing it in public. She married her companion Jonina Ledsdottir in 2002, according to AFP news agency.
Ms Sigurdardottir is one of Iceland's most popular politicians. Her appeal has held up even as confidence in the government itself has plummeted, amid the economic crash, soaring unemployment and street protests.
Happy LGBT History Month!
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