Icelandic Lives

Examine the everyday lives of gay and lesbian Icelanders! Icelandic Lives: The Queer Experience explores the experiences of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in Iceland through a series of in-depth interviews culled from many hours of research over a two-year period. The results touch on a variety of themes, including growing up gay, the coming-out process, and everyday gay life in Iceland. These straightforward oral histories reflect the thoughts of Icelandic gay men and women toward love and relationships, their views on the issues that affect their lives, and their outlook for the future. Icelandic Lives: The Queer Experience counters the distinct lack of information available on queer life in Iceland with courageous and candid interviews that address the pressing issues facing gay men and lesbians everywhere. Interview subjectsmen and womenrange in age from late 50s to early 20s, providing a sense of the progress made by Icelandic society in accepting gay people. Those interviewed include: Karl, male, late 50s: AIDS took a great number of people I knew 10 years ago. All of a sudden they were gone. Hanna, female, early 40s: I am still attracted to men but now I see I am also attracted to women. I am not sure what to think now. Gudmundur, male, late 20s: I saw nothing happening in the gay scene in Iceland. I became desperate and thought there were only two possibilities: be straight or move away. Sunna, female, mid-30s: At first, I thought maybe one or two people knew about me. I found out that a lot of people knew about me because people tended to do the job of sharing for me. and much more! Icelandic Lives: The Queer Experience is a unique resource that gives a real sense of everyday gay life in Iceland. The book's heartfelt narrative descriptions will benefit academics, researchers, and anyone interested in the queer experience.