Johanna Sigurdardottir, world's first openly gay leader, to take power in Iceland

The Times ^ | 1/29/2009 | David Byers

[markomalley]

The world's first openly gay leader is poised to take power in Iceland with the appointment of a lesbian former flight attendant as Prime Minister following the mass-resignation of the country's government.

Johanna Sigurdardottir, 66, is to become interim leader until new elections are held in May following the fall of the administration of Geir Haarde amid huge public protests about the country's economic crisis.

The country's social affairs minister, Ms Sigurdardottir has been installed as head of an interim centre-left coalition featuring her Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green movement.

"Now we need a strong government that works with the people," she told reporters, adding that her new administration was likely to be sworn in on Saturday.

Doubts remain, however, as to whether Ms Sigurdardottir can retain power after May's elections as her Alliance party trails the Left-Green movement in the polls.

However, her appointment marks a historic milestone for the gay and lesbian community worldwide. She lives with a journalist, Jonina Leosdottir, with whom she was joined in a 2002 civil partnership, and has two sons from a previous marriage.

It is also a significant personal triumph for a politician who managed to retain, and even increase, her popularity while much of Iceland's political class were pilloried over the financial crisis engulfing the country.

While Mr Haarde endured angry protests for months and had his limousine pelted with eggs, polling companies said Ms Sigurdardottir's approval rating sat at 73 per cent in November, and she was the only minister to see her popularity improve on the previous year’s score.

[jla]

That’s not hair dye. That’s the color of a true Icelander’s hair.

At sixty-six years old?

[Googling: Iceland tourism]

[CowboyJay]

“much of Iceland’s political class were pilloried over the financial crisis engulfing the country.”

Not sure what all pilloring entails, but I’m pretty sure we should have done the same with the politicos who got us into this. I hope it goes well.

[puroresu]

Icelandic may be the most grammatically complicated language on earth. It is nearly unchanged from Viking times. Most European languages, including English, have become more analytic and less grammatical over time, losing a lot of inflections, conjugations, etc. But Icelandic has it all. Multiple cases with the noun and modifying adjectives (and articles) changing form each time. Multiple verbal conjugations depending on person and number. Masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns.

They take pride in their ancient language and avoid anything that might “corrupt” it.

[puroresu]

That’s the way the Vikings did it, so they still do it that way today. In the Reykyavik phone directory, half the names end in son, the other half in dottir!

[dfwgator]

But Icelandic has it all. Multiple cases with the noun and modifying adjectives (and articles) changing form each time. Multiple verbal conjugations depending on person and number. Masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns.

Polish is the same way.