Openly lesbian Icelandic Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigur∂ardóttir got married to her partner, writer Jónína Leósdóttir, on June 27, when the nation’s law legalizing same-sex marriage took effect. Since the couple already were registered partners under an existing civil-union law, they simply filed paperwork to convert their eight-year-old partnership into a marriage. “I have today taken advantage of this new legislation,” Sigur∂ardóttir said in a message sent to a celebration of the new law. Sigur∂ardóttir is the world’s only openly gay or lesbian head of government. Parliament legalized same-sex marriage by a vote of 49-0 on June 11. Fourteen MPs skipped the vote. The bill also blocked future use of the registered-partnership law. Iceland is the ninth nation where same-sex couples can marry nationwide and the 11th nation where same-sex marriage is possible. Gay marriage also is legal in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Mexico City, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C.

The lower house of Ireland’s parliament passed a civil-partnership bill for same-sex couples July 1. It is expected to pass the upper house easily and take effect early next year. The law will extend marriage rights and obligations in areas such as taxes, pensions, property, tenancy, inheritance, alimony, immigration and social benefits. Couples will unite before a registrar after providing three months’ advance notice of their intention, as with marriage. To end a partnership, a couple will go to court and prove they’ve not lived together for two of the previous three years, the same as with marriage. The law also will recognize foreign same-sex unions. Activists welcomed the “historic advance” but said it fell short of equality. There is no provision, for example, to acknowledge joint parenthood. “A continuing area of concern ... is the absence in the bill of support and recognition of the many children being parented by same-sex couples,” said Kieran Rose, chair of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network. “This critical omission will have to be addressed.”

Twenty-five gays and lesbians staged a pride parade in St. Petersburg, Russia, on June 26 although the city government had banned the march. Police broke up the gathering and arrested five participants. The march began in the courtyard of the famed State Hermitage Museum and made it as far as the entrance to Winter Palace Square before police swooped in. Hundreds of tourists were unwitting observers of the parade. The marchers chanted: “Gay equality, no compromise,” “Homophobia: shame of this country,” “Homophobia is a disease” and “Marriage rights for all.” One marcher carried a sign that said “Peter I was bisexual.” “The city and the country refused to recognize us as equal to other citizens of this country and that is what we came to denounce today at Winter Palace Square,” organizer Maria Efremenkova told fellow activists just before police took her into custody. Also arrested were co-organizers Yuri Gavrikov and Alexander Sheremet, Belarusian activist Sergey Androsenko and Moscow activist Anna Komarova. They were charged with organizing an unauthorized public action and were released after several hours. They could be jailed for 15 days if found guilty. The other marchers apparently escaped arrest by mingling with tourists. Efremenkova had sought a city permit to hold the parade and submitted more than 10 proposed routes. All were rejected under varying pretexts. She said pride organizers will sue over the denials, taking the case as far as the European Court of Human Rights if necessary. “Right to freedom of assembly is guaranteed in Russia by Article 31 of the constitution as well as the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights, which are two international treaties ratified by our country,” Efremenkova said. “Despite the pressure from the authorities and from the nationalist and religious groups, we held our action today,” she added. “We are only at the beginning of a long road before we manage to get implemented civil and political rights of sexual minorities in Russia.” Shortly after police aborted the march, 70 anti-gay skinheads and other troublemakers appeared on the scene, some carrying baseball bats. Twenty-two of them were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. There is a video of the parade at tinyurl.com/sppride. Gay parades also have been banned in Moscow. Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has prohibited pride for five years in a row, calling gay marches “satanic.” Small groups of activists have defied the bans and have been attacked and beaten by police and anti-gay protesters.

Several hundred people marched in the third gay pride parade in Sofia, Bulgaria, on June 26, under protection of hundreds of police officers.Anti-gay protesters rallied earlier in the day and did not disrupt this year’s march. A concert was staged at the parade’s endpoint. In 2008, some 60 counterdemonstrators were arrested for attacking the inaugural parade with bottles, rocks, eggs, firecrackers, smoke bombs and Molotov cocktails. In Finland, about 5,000 people marched through Helsinki on July 3. Three bystanders were taken into police custody after some marchers were hit with pepper spray.

The gay/lesbian bar Cafe Open in Ljubljana, Slovenia, was vandalized twice in late June. Local activists said a Molotov cocktail was placed at the entrance and that the building was defaced with graffiti, including “Death to faggots.” Activists said similar graffiti was found on the house of the judge in a case against three men who attacked the bar last year and were sentenced to 18 months in jail following hate-crime convictions. In last year’s incident, the attackers carried torches, threw rocks and shouted that gay people should be killed. They reportedly beat and burned gay activist Mitja Blazic, who required hospital attention as a result.

Assistance: Bill Kelley