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Three years after her election as Prime Minister of Iceland, 2B was hoping to get an interview with Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, who has become a hero for lesbians and feminists everywhere. Her office responded with a swift reply: the head of state has a very busy schedule and prefers “not to speak about her private life or answer personal questions during interviews.”

In the end, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, member of the Icelandic Social-Democrat Party, does not see her sexual orientation as an issue. “Whom the new prime minister crawls into bed with at night seems to be fairly far down the list of priorities for people,” explained Icelandic journalist Ingo Sigfusson to the BBC in February 2009.

“Saint Jóhanna”

Despite her unwillingness to discuss her sexual orientation or private life with the media, this 70 year old politician has actively defended the rights of LGBT people. Under her leadership, the Icelandic parliament voted unanimously in favour of same-sex marriage, in June 2010. Ms. Sigurðardóttir herself was among the first Icelanders to take advantage of the new law by marrying her long-time partner, a playwright with whom she was already in a civil union.

Granddaughter of a famous feminist and unionist, Sigurðardóttir has never wavered in her conviction to defend the most fragile and marginalized, leading Icelanders to dub her “Saint- Jóhanna”. Elected to parliament since 1978, she has served as Minister of Social Affairs several times (after having lived another life as a flight attendant) and earned her reputation as a woman of integrity.

The end of strip clubs

When Iceland, a country with only 320,000 inhabitants, was on the verge of bankruptcy in 2008 after its financial system collapsed, she is one of the few political personalities that managed to weather the storm and maintain the trust of the population. Appointed interim Prime Minister after Geir Haarde stepped down, after being accused of leading his country to ruin, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir went on to win the elections in 2009. She governs with her allies from the “Green left”.

For the past three years, women’s rights have been one of her main priorities. In March 2010, the government voted in favour of a law that would close all strip clubs and ban any place that aims to make a profit off of the nudity of their employees.

The Prime Minister has also actively supported campaigns against rape and domestic violence. In an interview with The Guardian in 2010 Guðrún Jónsdóttir from the association Stígamót said that “Jóhanna is a great feminist in that she challenges the men in her party and refuses to let them oppress her.” Reserved but tenacious, much like the country she leads.