A proposal by two Icelandic MPs and one Greenlandic MP supporting the work of LGBTQ+ organisations met opposition from Faroese representatives at the annual meeting of the West Nordic Council, being held at Hof in Akureyri.
The West Nordic Council is a forum for cooperation between Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Jón Gnarr is chair of the Icelandic delegation.
The council's aim is to promote the interests of the three West Nordic countries. It has passed resolutions on a range of issues, including environmental and natural-resource matters, increased cultural cooperation between the countries, and cooperation in education and sport. It consists of 18 parliamentarians, six from each country.
Jón Gnarr and Ása Berglind Hjálmarsdóttir put forward a proposal at the annual meeting together with Pipaluk Lynge of Greenland, calling on the government of each country to support LGBTQ+ advocacy organisations. In the Faroe Islands this is LGBT+ Føroyar, in Greenland Sipineq+, and in Iceland Samtökin '78 (the National Queer Organisation of Iceland).
The proposal states:
The West Nordic Council recommends that the Government of the Faroe Islands, Naalakkersuisut in Greenland and the Government of Iceland discuss the shared challenges facing LGBTQ+ people in the West Nordic countries [...] with the aim of strengthening their work to ensure that common West Nordic challenges are addressed in national action plans against discrimination and prejudice.
The main proposal calling for governmental support for LGBTQ+ advocacy organisations was passed easily by the council by 10 votes to 4, with two abstentions.
Faroese representatives complain strongly about idea
However, Faroese parliamentarians Jörgen Niclasen, former chair of Fólkaflokkurin (the People's Party), and Hermann Samuelsen of Sambandsflokkurin (the Union Party) spoke strongly against it.
We as a state should not be funding organisations like these, which create division and discord and confuse people.
He accused Jón Gnarr of trying to "win votes" in Iceland with the proposal.
"I do not understand what this is supposed to be about. I think this is more a message from the proposer that would win him votes in the next election. I do not understand why this is being brought forward, because it divides people."
Samuelsen also spoke, at length, about trans people and claimed among other things, that it was normal to define a person's sex and that doctors did so at birth.
Jörgen Niclasen said this was a domestic matter for each individual country and not an issue the West Nordic Council should be dealing with. He said it was liable to create division and did not have majority support among Faroese people.
Both Samuelsen and Niclasen said the issues addressed by the West Nordic Council should unite the countries rather than divide them.
Main proposal accepted but Jón's amendment rejected
Jón also proposed an amendment calling on each of the countries to provide the organisations with office space or premises for their activities. It was rejected by 12 votes to two.
Jón Gnarr told RÚV he was shocked by what had happened. He had not expected such strong opposition, and said it was clear that the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights in Iceland was much further advanced than among our neighbours in the Faroe Islands.
"I think this is absolutely appalling"
Jón believes that, of the three countries, the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights has made the least progress in the Faroe Islands.
He had expected objections from Faroese representatives, but not the strong language used yesterday.
I did not expect at all what happened today. I am just quite shaken. I think this is unacceptable. I think this is absolutely appalling. I can feel, just talking about it, how shocked I am by this. I simply do not understand it.
He hopes this will not cause problems for cooperation between the three countries, but believes it could:
"I hope not. But I do think there is a real risk that this could cause problems."
There were demands that the proposal be withdrawn, and various other accusations were also made.
I was told to withdraw it. I was accused of trying to tear apart everything that had been built up with this proposal. This is an innocuous proposal. It is simply a recommendation to the governments of the countries to look at what can be done to help people.
