10 Sexy Reasons to Love Iceland
Okay, okay, we know that Iceland really screwed up air travel with that volcano incident. And the collapse of their financial system was a major international bummer. But they deserve to be forgiven — check it out:
- Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir just married her long-term partner, making her the world’s first national leader with a same-sex spouse. The wedding took place the day a new law took effect, which defines marriage as a union between two consenting adults, regardless of sex.
- Before she got married, her claim to fame was that she was the world’s only openly gay prime minister. But it was never a big deal in Iceland. Because, you know, it isn’t. Iceland has long been progressive in LGBT matters. All the way back in 1996, they passed a law creating registered partnerships for same-sex couples, which covered nearly all the rights and benefits of marriage.
- Icelanders read more books per capita than any other population in the world. Also, they invented the novel — a thousand years ago, with the Icelandic saga. Hmm… smart, well-read people who happen to be extremely tolerant, too — coincidence?
- Iceland is home to the Icelandic Phallological Museum, in Husavik. Which is exactly what it sounds like: a collection of phallic specimens — each lovingly stuffed and mounted — belonging to all manner of mammal, including whales, polar bears, shrews, and mice. There is no human specimen available for viewing yet, though the museum claims it has “legally-certified gift tokens for four specimens belonging to Homo Sapiens.” Meaning, when those dudes die, their penises will be bequeathed.
- Polls show that the majority of residents either believes in elves or is not willing to rule out their existence.
