Issue 08 2021 www.gpv.is New Wave 3 Men, 1 North LGBT(heatre) Reykjanes! News: Not the !ood kind, the Culture: The Grapevine's Art: Queer teens take to the Travel: It's not just for pandemic kind Frin!e Award winners streets! volcanos anymore Being Nonbinary, In Iceland And Everywhere Nonbinary people have always existed, all over the world, but are only recently getting noticed in Eurocentric coun- tries. We explore what being nonbinary means, the challenges they face, and what needs to change for the better. COVER ART: Photo by Art Bicnick. On the cover: Ari Logn, Regn and Reyn, three nonbinary Icelanders, enrobed in a nonbinary pride flag. 06: COVID Strikes Back 20: Queer Teens Werk It 31: Reykjanes Revelry 06: Saga's Turning Blue 11: MEN OF THE NORTH 27: Style Straight From 07: Nordic Gods & Finnish RISE UP AND JUGGLE The Non-Straights First Rock Gods 24: Mannveira... \m/ 26: Saga Cowboy EDITORIAL Andie Sophia Will Not Shut Up Hannah Jane’s Sentimental Sermon A recent comment on one of our YouTube videos complained Last year, Andie Sophia and I wrote our joint Pride editorial that I should shut up about being trans and nonbinary; that at the tail end of the widespread Black Lives Matter protests. it’s in fact straight cis people who are actually marginalised, I remember sitting at this same desk thinking that the hatred and “freaks” like me are taking over. gripping our shared birth country couldn’t possibly get more extreme. If you had told me that in months, insurrectionists There’s an old saying that goes: “when you’re accustomed to would storm our Capital Building encouraged by our then- privilege, equality feels like oppression.” I would argue that President, I would not have believed you. But here we are. even pushing for equality also gets framed by the privileged as oppression. This year, the news is currently dominated by the Delta vari- ant. Cases worldwide are exploding and the topic of social When I see how trans issues are framed by mainstream revolution has retreated once again to the background. media, especially in the US and UK, as a journalist I am constantly astounded at how editorial standards go right out For me, Pride 2021 was a light at the end of the tunnel, but the window when covering this topic. Seldom, if ever, are any now it’s, once again, a quiet affair. So how does one celebrate actual trans people interviewed for these pieces. Repeatedly Pride by their lonesome? Well, by remembering that Pride debunked cranks are given uncritical platforms for their was not originally a party. It was a protest. hate. Small wonder that anti-trans legislation in the US, and hate crimes both there and Europe, have been running Queer and reproductive rights in European countries have rampant. continued to decline horrifically. There’s been a massive uptick in anti-Asian and anti-Semitic crimes in the US and But we would be kidding ourselves if we believed this can’t trans women continue to be murdered at a disproportionate happen in Iceland. There is a small cadre of bigots forever rate worldwide. QAnon—and its hateful cousins—still flour- yelling about “only two genders” and “you can’t change ish in the darkest corners of the internet, leaving a trail of your sex”, and we would be doing ourselves a disservice by victims in their wake. pretending it’s not happening. Bigotry is a rabbit hole and while it might not always be Queerantine This is why I will not shut up. This is why Pride is still impor- front-page news, it’s always there. So love and listen to your tant everywhere. So we hope you’ll enjoy the perspectives neighbours. Humanity need not be so cruel. of three nonbinary Icelanders in this issue’s cover story. 2021 Through listening and learning, tolerance can flourish. Andie Sophia Fontaine & Hannah Jane Cohen Grapevine Goddesses and co-editors of this issue John Pearson is a Rey- Hannah Jane Cohen is Pollý is a hard-work- Alina Maurer is a Catharine Fulton is a Erik Pomrenke Andie Sophia Fontaine Brittnee Kiner is an Valur Grettisson is kjavík resident who based out of Iceland ing journalist by day media studies intern writer and editor who collects graduate has lived in Iceland American political an award-winning combines writing with by way of New York. and an enthusiastic at the Grapevine. She has been involved degrees and is cur- since 1999 and has science student– journalist, author professional back- She's known for her ball-catcher by studied all things with the Grapevine rently studying litera- been reporting since turned temporary and playwright. He grounds in music, love of Willa Ford, night. A four-year-old Icelandic at HÍ and for many years, from ture and historical 2003. They were the resident of Iceland, has been writing for broadcasting, scuba David Foster Wallace, dachshund mix with can finally distin- being our online linguistics at HI. His first foreign-born seeking asylum from Icelandic media since diving, engineering and other such an IQ of a five-year- guish Marvel’s Thor news editor to sta& MA thesis is probably member of the the quagmire of US 2005. He was also a and underwater "intellectuals." Her old human, Pollý has from the real Þór. journalist. She is going to be about Icelandic Parliament, politics. Riding her theatre critic and photography. He loves visionary work is been the o#cial A%er a year’s break now our beloved law and memory, an experience they horse-drawn wagon one of the hosts of puns, alliteration and known for expand- Chief Of Morale at in Germany she came copywriter. Outside but it changes every recommend for from the Oklahoma the cultural program, lists that have three ing the definitions of the Grapevine for back to Iceland due of dealing with our week. In his spare anyone who wants prairies, she found 'Djöflaeyjan' on RÚV. things in them. emotion, introspec- eight months and is to missing the ocean writers turning in time, he likes to to experience a refuge on an Atlantic Valur is not to be tion, and above all a regular contribu- and Icelandic ice work late, she also memorize inflection workplace where island. A rock climber confused with the else, taste. Hannah is tor to the Grape- cream. She loves has two extremely paradigms and chill colleagues work tire- from the plains, she's dreadful football club also the current Drag vine Newscast on pretzels, clay art and cute kids. to death industrial lessly to undermine got a serious so% that bears the same King of Iceland, HANS. YouTube. Woof. boiling in hot tubs. and harsh noise. each other. spot for ice cream. name. ARTISAN BAKERY & COFFEE HOUSE OPEN EVERYDAY 6.30 - 21.00 LAUGAVEGUR 36 · 101 REYKJAVIK Keeping Iceland warm since 1926 Win a trip to Iceland Scan the code with your phone Shop at 66north.com or visit 66north.com/join Follow us on Instagram @66north The Reykjavík Grapevine 4 First Issue 08— 2021 Covid-19 Rapid Test 15 Gylfi Sigurðsson, currently under investigation in 1944; it took the literal collapse What Are Icelanders of the financial system to get them Results in 15 minutes out of power. Talkin! About? In less exciting news, Gylfi Sigurðs- son, a football player for Everton Good vibes only in the comments and the Icelandic National Team, Go to www.testcovid.is is reportedly under investigation Words: Andie Sophia Fontaine Photos: Soccer.ru/Wikimedia Commons in the U.K. for sexual offences against a minor. Though he wasn’t NEWS It probably goes without possibilities for autumn. Iceland named in the British press—they saying, but the big news has almost never had a one-party only said it was a “married, 31 years To book your test in Iceland right now is the Delta ruling government; two parties old and plays regularly with his variant of the coronavirus. Within are usually the norm. However, national team”, which narrowed it follow these simple steps. a couple weeks of Iceland throwing recent polling has shown that even down to two people, Gylfi being one aside all domestic restrictions and a three-party coalition will be of them—sources speaking with making the border considerably next to impossible. More shock- the Icelandic press did identify him. easier to cross, new cases began to ingly, some of the possible ruling Gylfi was reportedly arrested, his 1 Go to www.testcovid.is crop up rapidly—even amongst the coalitions—if the recent polls are house searched and some unnamed vaccinated. Single-day records were reflected in the voting results, items were seized. Subsequently shattered, new domestic restric- that is—may be possible without released on bail, he has denied the tions were put in place and popular the Independence Party, Iceland’s charges against him—whatever the Select your test location, August events were cancelled. conservatives. This is huge news nature of his reported crime may 2 and it’s a surprise it isn’t being more be. That will have to come to light date and time This seemed to give fuel to the widely reported. The Independence later. small, but loud, anti-vax contin- Party has been a part of nearly every Complete your payment gent in Iceland. It later came to ruling coalition since the country 3 light that while most of the new became an independent republic online - 6.900 ISK cases were amongst vaccinated people, the actual percentage of vaccinated people who subse- quently became infected has not 4 even crossed 1%.