August 9, 2010
Icelandic capital's mayor dresses in drag to open Pride festival
Michael K. Lavers READ TIME: 1 MIN.
The mayor of Iceland's capital made quite a statement when he opened his city's annual Gay Pride celebration.
The British Broadcasting Corporation reported Reykjavik Mayor J�n Gnarr wore a floral-print dress, a blonde wig and bright red lipstick when he appeared on stage on Thursday, Aug. 5, to open his city's annual gay Pride celebration.
"The mayor unfortunately could not attend himself," Gnarr told the nearly 90,000 people who reportedly attended the event in the Icelandic capital.
Gnarr is certainly not the first public official to appear in drag. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani periodically dressed as a woman - including at a 2000 roast in which Donald Trump kissed his breasts - during his two terms in office.
As EDGE previously reported, Iceland's lesbian prime minister, Johanna Sigurdard�ttir, took office in January after the country's previous government collapsed in the wake of the island's financial crisis. Sigurdard�ttir married her long-time partner, Jonina Leosd�ttir, in June.
Based in Washington, D.C., Michael K. Lavers has appeared in the New York Times, BBC, WNYC, Huffington Post, Village Voice, Advocate and other mainstream and LGBT media outlets. He is an unapologetic political junkie who thoroughly enjoys living inside the Beltway.
