However, two things have begun to change all that. First was the establishment of the Icelandic gay and lesbian association in 1978, Samtokin 78 (Laugavegur 3, tel 552 7878), to promote awareness of homosexuality and gay rights at a political level. This professionally run organisation also offers a support network, not only in Reykjavik, but also out in the tiny towns and villages in the countryside, where attitudes towards homosexuality are not nearly as enlightened. Despite this, there are still many men and women in far-flung villages stuck in the closet because they fear the reaction of people around them should they come out.

The countryside also lacks the effects of the second factor that has changed the lives of so many gay men and women living in the capital - the advent of the bar. The legalization of beer in 1989 meant that bars began springing up throughout Reykjavik, bringing people out onto the streets in larger numbers than had ever been the case before. This change in the law made it possible for gay men and women to socialize in pubs in a way that they could only have dreamt of before. Over the past decade, a bar culture has slowly but surely developed in Reykjavik and the city is now confident enough to boast three gay bars , though there isn't a single gay bar or any gay scene to speak of in the provinces.

Samtokin's efforts have certainly paid off at the political level - after much lobbying, Iceland's politicians not only agreed to allow gay marriage in 1996 (in effect the right to register legally a partnership between two same-sex partners thus granting legal parity with straight couples), but also to allow gay men and lesbians to adopt children, making Iceland the first country in the world to pass such progressive legislation