# Iceland gets a gay PM, is this a first? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 27, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239 "2009-01-27T16:27:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/41 "2009-01-28T03:59:18Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > There are currently six MPs who are out members of the LGBT community: Bill Siksay and Libby Davies in the NDP; Scott Brison, Mario Silva, and Rob Oliphant for the Liberals; and Réal Ménard for the Bloc. Out gay former MPs include the NDP’s Svend Robinson and the Bloc’s Raymond Gravel. > > Svend Robinson was the first out gay MP (February 29th, 1988 – his constituency office had all its windows smashed), Libby Davies was the first (and so far only) female MP to come out as having a female partner (although she doesn’t label her sexual orientation), Bill Siksay was the first MP to already be out when elected to a first term, and Scott Brison was the first out gay cabinet minister. > > Interestingly, of these, Rob Oliphant is a United Church minister, Raymond Gravel is a Roman Catholic priest, and Bill Siksay was a candidate for United Church ordination (his partner is a UC minister). > > There are a couple more MPs and former MPs whose sexual orientation is just about as open as secrets get, but who have never officially come out. Ottawa can still be a pretty closed town in several respects. Well, I feel like we’re hijacking **Worm’s** thread, but certainly the vast majority of us in Canada, and presumably the Scandinavian countries, have no reason to believe that the sexual orientation of a candidate has anything to do with their ability to represent their constituents’ interests. Could this be the next glass ceiling in the USA? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/42 "2009-01-28T08:01:42Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > We’ll have that beer. Hell, I’ll buy you, your family and all your friends a beer when the US elects an open, partnered lesbian of any color. We’ve got lots of them. We already did, athird of a century ago: Kathy Kozachenko was elected as an open lesbian on the Ann Arbor City Council in 1974. Or did you mean elected as President? ---
**Author:** ![ShermanAter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ShermanAter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShermanAter)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/43 "2009-01-28T08:49:18Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Openly gay leader number 2 will likely be Klaus Wowereit, mayor of Berlin, and potential SPD candidate for German Chancellor, or, failing that, Bertrand Delanoe, mayor of Paris, anmd potential Socialist candidate for President of France. You sure know your gay leaders…NTTAWWT;) ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/44 "2009-01-28T09:10:09Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Well, I feel like we’re hijacking **Worm’s** thread, but certainly the vast majority of us in Canada, and presumably the Scandinavian countries, have no reason to believe that the sexual orientation of a candidate has anything to do with their ability to represent their constituents’ interests. Could this be the next glass ceiling in the USA? It just might. And considering the fact that I had now idea ours was a lesbian until they wrote about it in the paper… and then in the format of "she lives with her partner of many years “Girlyname Somethingdaughter”. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/45 "2009-01-28T12:04:22Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Though both were married, so its hard to describe them as “out”. But those marriages were exclusively breeding affairs. Like artificial insemination of cows with more clothes and political overtones. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/46 "2009-01-28T14:32:36Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > Damn Norwegians, stealing the win ☹ You win, actually - Foss was never elected, he but briefly filled in for Bondevik while he was receiving treatment for a nervuous breakdown. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/47 "2009-01-28T14:42:37Z")
> [@Gukumatz](#): > > You win, actually - Foss was never elected, he but briefly filled in for Bondevik while he was receiving treatment for a nervuous breakdown. 🙂 She isn’t elected either, per se. It’s a new government after the old one crashed, which will stay in place until we hold new elections in May. But I’m still taking the win as she’s leading a new government 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/48 "2009-01-28T17:35:56Z")
Fortuyn was quite liberal my US standards. Indeed, his main immigration plank was that immigration from non-EU countries should be reduced or eliminated in order that existing immigrants could integrate into Dutch culture. It’s a position I strongly agree with and I think it’s a great shame that he was murdered. Hopefully, the current Icelandic PM won’t be the first openly gay person to be elected. The real hope, however, is that one day it won’t even be a talking point. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/49 "2009-01-28T18:06:34Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Hopefully, the current Icelandic PM won’t be the first openly gay person to be elected. I’m confused - why don’t you want her to be elected? ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/50 "2009-01-28T18:09:06Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > A fun element of the electoral campaign during which Delanoe was elected was to see his elderly old-school conservative opponent scrambling to attend gay events. Was the gay vote really important enough to overrule the homophobe vote that he felt he had to do so? That’s interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/51 "2009-01-28T18:18:15Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > I’m confused - why don’t you want her to be elected? Eh? You misread or I wasn’t clear. I’d like this not to be a one off, that is, other openly gay politicians are routinely elected. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/52 "2009-01-28T19:48:36Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Eh? You misread or I wasn’t clear. I’d like this not to be a one off, that is, other openly gay politicians are routinely elected. Okay - I guessed that’s what you meant (given the last sentence of your post) but just wanted to be sure. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/53 "2009-01-28T20:41:20Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > We already did, athird of a century ago: Kathy Kozachenko was elected as an open lesbian on the Ann Arbor City Council in 1974. > > Or did you mean elected as President? Yeah, I meant president. I’d like to buy everyone a beer who elected a lesbian, but that’s a lot of lesbians. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/54 "2009-01-28T20:53:06Z")
I get gay PMs all the time. I really should turn off private messages. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/55 "2009-01-28T21:18:37Z")
> [@ShermanAter](#): > > You sure know your gay leaders…NTTAWWT;) Well, they don’t call him Captain Amazing for nothing! ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/56 "2009-01-28T21:39:02Z")
I think [Peter Mandelson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Mandelson) has acheived the highest office in the UK of any openly gay politician. Though his power was more unofficial as he was an advisor to the PM, albeit a very powerful one (famously a “Minister without Portfolio”). ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239/57 "2009-01-28T22:22:39Z")
> [@Patch](#): > > Was the gay vote really important enough to overrule the homophobe vote that he felt he had to do so? That’s interesting. When the election is really close, every little group of voters matters\*. And gays/lesbians is usually about 10%, and they are a high-turnout group, so more valuable. \*As for example, in our Minnesota Senate election, differing by 225 votes out of 3 million+ cast. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-gets-a-gay-pm-is-this-a-first/483239.md?page=2)