Feb. 1, 2024

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir becomes the first LGBT head of state

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir becomes the first LGBT head of state

February 1, 2009. Icelandic politician Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is sworn in as the country's prime minister, becoming the first woman to hold that post in Iceland and the world's first openly gay head of government. This episode originally aired in 2022.

Transcript

It's autumn 1994 in Reykjavík, Iceland, in a packed meeting hall at the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party, or the SDP.

Party officials sit on stage in front of a packed audience filled with reporters and loyal party members.

They are waiting to hear the outcome of an election to determine who will be the party's next chairperson.

The front runner is a man named Ján Balván Hanna Bálsson, who's been chair since the 1980s.

But there are those in the ranks of the SDP who are ready for change.

Many of these party members support Hanna Bálsson's more progressive opponent, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, a woman in her 50s who currently serves as Iceland's minister of social affairs.

As Jóhanna walks on stage, her supporters in the crowd cheer and applaud.

Jóhanna smiles and waves before taking her seat on the dais.

Jóhanna is nervous though, still confident.

She has a history of supporting causes like welfare reform and equal pay for women and the workplace.

She hopes her reputation as a champion for social justice is enough to win her a victory.

A hush falls over the crowd as a party official takes to the podium to announce the winner.

When Jóhanna hears the name Jón Balvin Hannabalsson echo throughout the hall, the smile momentarily falls from her face.

Jóhanna is disappointed and so are her supporters in the crowd.

They harbor no doubt that if she were a man, Jóhanna would have won this contest.

The unfairness burns within them.

But Jóhanna is a skilled politician.

She smiles and claps along as Hannabalsson makes his way to the podium to deliver his victory speech.

Jóhanna listens as Hannabalsson pays respect to her and describes her as one of Iceland's greatest advocates of social justice and hardest working public servants.

But for Jóhanna, his words are cold comfort.

As she listens to Hannabalsson drone on, she can't help but wonder if there's another reason the party voted against her.

Jóhanna suspects she was rejected because too many of her fellow party members know something that as of yet, the Icelandic public does not.

Jóhanna is gay and has been in a secret relationship with a woman for almost 10 years.

After Hannabalsson's speech, Jóhanna is invited to the podium to address the assembly.

Many expect that Jóhanna will gracefully pay tribute to the new leader, but instead, Jóhanna is defiant.

She looks out over the audience and sees her own anger reflected in the faces of many party members, especially the women.

So she raises her fist in the air and delivers a declaration that will become an iconic feminist slogan in the coming decades.

Min timi mun koma.

My time will come.

In the aftermath of her defeat, Jóhanna will break off from the SDP and form her own left-wing movement called the National Awakening that will advance her social justice agenda and further her career.

And indeed, 15 years later, Jóhanna's time will come.

In the midst of a global financial crisis, the people of Iceland will turn to Jóhanna to rescue the country from economic ruin.

And on February 1st, 2009, she will be sworn in as Iceland's first woman prime minister and the first openly gay head of government in the world.

From Noiser and Airship, I'm Lindsay Graham.

History is made every day.

On this podcast, every day, we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is February 1st, 2009, the rise of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir.

It's the summer of 1985 in Reykjavík, Iceland, 24 years before Jóhanna is sworn in as Prime Minister.

A shy young woman named Jóniá Leostotir lingers at the back of a group of 25 other women posing for a photo.

These women have united for the inaugural meeting of a feminist committee to fight for equal pay between the sexes.

Jóniá cares deeply about feminist issues, but she's not a politician.

She's an upcoming writer in her early thirties, who's been included on the committee to represent the arts world and the discussions.

But while she has a limited grasp of politics, she has a boundless interest for people.

And today, her eye is drawn to the committee's smartly dressed, high-profile chairwoman, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir.

Jóniá already knows Jóhanna from TV and appreciates that she's a fierce champion of feminist causes.

Jóniá also knows that the 41-year-old chairwoman is married to a wealthy banker and has two sons.

Jóniá thinks this might give them something in common because she too is married with a son at home.

But over the following weeks, Jóniá looks more and more forward to these regular committee meetings.

She is surprised by her own enthusiasm for these often dry affairs.

Soon she realizes why.

Jóniá has become transfixed by the chairwoman, but it's more than just admiration for her work in politics.

During those early meetings, the two women rarely speak and when they do, it's on some point of politics rather than anything personal.

But over time it occurs to Jóniá that her attraction to the older woman has turned romantic.

To her own amazement, she realizes she's fallen in love.

It sounds absurd to her because until now Jóniá considered herself heterosexual.

She'd been married to her husband for 13 years, and in that time she'd never dreamed of being unfaithful to him, with anyone, male or female.

But her feelings for Jóhanna are powerful.

As part of her work on the Women's Committee, Jóhanna must attend meetings all over Iceland.

On one occasion, she's invited to travel to the northeast of the country and must stay overnight in a hotel.

Upon learning this, Jóhanna quickly volunteers to accompany her.

Soon, the two women travel by plane to the relatively remote location.

Jóhanna hopes to use this opportunity to tell Jóhanna how she feels.

She knows it will be terribly difficult.

She barely knows this woman, and she's afraid of coming across as irrational or impulsive.

After the meeting, Jóhanna and Jóhanna dine together in the mostly empty hotel restaurant.

Throughout the meal, Jóhanna is a jumble of nerves, but she eventually works up the courage to ask Jóhanna if she would like a glass of sherry, explaining she'd brought a bottle along for the trip.

Jóhanna doesn't even like sherry, but she knows it's Jóhanna's favorite.

In Jóhanna's hotel room, the two ladies cling to glasses and say Skål.

Finally, Jóhanna gets up the nerve to reveal the truth.

In a flurry of confessions, she tries to, in her words, explain the unexplainable.

Jóhanna's response is kind, but her steady expression reveals nothing.

But she does offer Jónina an assurance, telling her, You can absolutely trust me, Jónina.

I'm not going to tell anyone.

Hearing this, Jónina goes pale.

Until this moment, she never considered how disastrous it would be if people found out about her declaration.

It could ruin her marriage, her reputation.

Jónina leaves the hotel room with the impression that her feelings are not reciprocated.

Eventually, Jónina will come to the realization that she can no longer stay with her husband.

It breaks her heart to shatter a family in this way.

She knows she has no choice.

The feelings are too strong.

She's left feeling a bit lost.

But soon, Jóhanna will learn that she was wrong to assume her feelings for Jóhanna were unrequited.

Over time, their working friendship will develop into something more significant.

Jóhanna will leave her husband as well.

And the two women will form what will become a long-term partnership.

But for a time, the relationship will only exist out of the public eye.

As Jóhanna's political career continues to advance, she will ultimately be faced with a difficult decision.

Reveal her sexuality and face the consequences.

Or continue to live a double life.

It's October 24th, 1985, in Reykjavik, 24 years before Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is sworn in as Iceland's Prime Minister.

Jóhanna stands on stage in front of a large audience, delivering another rousing speech to supporters.

She's celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Women's Strike, a famous feminist protest in Iceland in which 90% of women stopped work to protest pay disparity.

Among the throngs of people in attendance is Jónina.

She watches from a distance as the woman she loves receives thunderous applause from the crowd.

It's been a few months since Jónina declared her love for Jóhanna.

Since then, their friendship has evolved into a budding romance.

But for now, the women have decided it must remain secret.

In 1985, gay marriage is not legal in Iceland, and many Icelanders frown on homosexuality.

The women fear a coming out would threaten Jóhanna's promising career, and Jónina doesn't wish to be responsible for that.

So tonight, the two women position themselves at opposite ends of the function room, only occasionally catching each other's eyes through the crowd.

Making matters more complicated, Jóhanna has not yet divorced her husband.

Like Jónina, she doesn't want to break his heart or break up their family.

But Jóhanna knows she will have to divorce him eventually.

The women are willing to conceal the truth from the public for the moment, but they're not willing to continue to lie to their families.

Eventually, Jóhanna tells her husband the truth.

He is heartbroken, but ultimately understanding.

When the time is right, Jónina and her young son are introduced to Jóhanna's two older boys, and they quickly become friends.

Around this time, Jóhanna is appointed as Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security, a senior position in the Icelandic government.

Jónina is proud of her partner's achievements, and confident that Jóhanna's success will only benefit the people of Iceland.

But during this time, the two women live separately.

They only see each other on weekends.

Over time, Jónina grows wary of being treated like a dirty secret.

A growing tension between the two partners comes to a head at Jóhanna's 50th birthday party.

Hundreds of friends, family, and coworkers attend the event.

Jónina is present, but as usual, she keeps her distance.

After everyone's gone home except for a handful of Jóhanna's closest friends and family, a photographer requests a family phono.

Jónina watches from a distance, as Jóhanna calls over to her mother to be in the shot, and she calls for her two adult sons.

Considering how few outsiders are still here, Jónina anticipates that she might be finally invited to join Jóhanna in the family photo.

But Jóhanna doesn't even glance in her direction.

Instead, she invites her oldest son's girlfriend to be in the picture.

Jónina is devastated.

Jóhanna's son has been dating this girl for three months.

Jónina has been her life partner for seven years.

In tears, Jónina confronts Jóhanna in front of everyone.

Jóhanna pulls her into another room to calm her down.

Jóhanna apologizes, promising that she didn't mean to hurt Jónina's feelings.

But she thought Jónina understood how difficult it is for her to acknowledge their relationship publicly.

Jónina wipes her tears and warns Jóhanna that unless things change, their relationship is over.

Confronted by this ultimatum, Jóhanna asks Jónina to move in with her so they can live as a proper couple.

And she makes a promise that from now on, Jónina will be standing beside her in every family photo.

But for now, Jóhanna does not feel that she's in a position in her career to announce their relationship to the world.

It's a compromise Jónina enthusiastically agrees to.

A year later, Jóhanna loses her 1994 party leadership bid, declaring, My time will come.

At home, she is raw from the defeat.

Jónina listens to her as she plans to start her own political party.

But Jónina senses an opportunity in defeat.

She points out to Jóhanna that her being in the closet hasn't helped her in her political career.

Some of her rivals are using it against her, treating it like a dark secret that could be exposed at any time.

Perhaps it would be better, Jónina offers, if they were to come out.

Jónina believes such honesty would be seen as strength and not weakness.

But also, if they were to live openly as a gay couple, it would be a hopeful example for other gay people everywhere.

Jónina listens to Jónina's argument, but is not immediately convinced.

She is an older or traditional person.

She is not ready to come out.

But as the years go on, Jónina begins to see the wisdom in her partner's suggestion.

Finally, in 2002, with same-sex marriage still not legal in Iceland, the two women register as partners in a civil union.

Jónina braces for blowback, but it doesn't come.

Instead, coming out will bolster Jónina's popularity and set her on a course to make history.

It's late January 2009 in Reykjavik, one week before Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is sworn in as prime minister.

In the wake of a global financial crisis, Iceland's economy is in freefall.

Thousands have lost their jobs and savings.

Today, angry protesters fill the central square in Reykjavik, furious at the government's mishandling of the catastrophe.

In response, Iceland's prime minister resigns.

After the prime minister's resignation, Iceland's ceremonial head of state, its president, turns to Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir for help with running the government.

By now, Jóhanna is the leader of the Social Democrat Alliance, a coalition party born from the former SDP and her National Awakening Party.

Over decades of committed public service, Jóhanna has proven herself to be a conscientious and dedicated public servant, a relentless advocate for social justice, and a respected woman across the political spectrum.

And when Iceland's president asks Jóhanna to be head of a new temporary caretaker government, Jóhanna doesn't hesitate.

But her short three-month tenure as emergency prime minister will not be ceremonial.

In a press conference, Jóhanna explains, all the ministers in my cabinet must work fast, take firm action and rebuild the job market.

On February 1st, 2009, Jóhanna is sworn in as prime minister, becoming the first woman in Iceland to hold the post and the first openly gay head of state in history.

But the people of Iceland did not vote Jóhanna into power, and the question of whether or not they will accept a lesbian leader remains unanswered.

Until three months later, when Jóhanna stands as a candidate for prime minister in a general election, she wins the contest by a decisive margin.

As prime minister, Jóhanna helps put Iceland's economy on a path to recovery.

She also makes good on her promise of change.

On June 27th, 2010, one year into her term, same-sex marriage is legalized in Iceland.

On that very day, Jóhanna and Jóhanna become one of the first LGBTQ couples to get married in Iceland.

Over the years, Jóhanna enjoys her own successful career as a writer.

She receives countless letters from young gay people around the country, thanking her and Jóhanna for being so visible.

In September 2012, Jóhanna announces she will not be seeking re-election after her first term, as she is ready to devote her life to her loved ones, including Jónina.

Not long after she leaves office, the board of the LGBT Association of Iceland presents her with a special award in recognition of her many achievements.

With her wife, Jónina, standing proudly by her side, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir accepts a statue of a girl with her arm in the air.

The inscription reads, Min tímimun koma.

My time will come.

Next, on History Daily, February 2nd, 1709, British sailor Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being marooned on a Pacific island for more than four years, a story of survival that will inspire the novel Robinson Crusoe.

From Noiser and Ayrshire, this is History Daily.

Hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio, editing, and sound design by Molly Bogg.

Music by Lindsay Graham.

This episode is written and researched by James Benmore.

Executive producers are Stephen Walters for Ayrshire and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.