Date: Sat, 25 Jan 1997 19:05:22 +0100 (MET)
From: skolander@bahnhof.se (Bjoern Skolander)

The Icelandic parliament, Althingi, has late 1996 voted for a change of the
anti discrimination clause of the country's penal code.

According to 1996's annual report of Samtoekin '78, the Icelandic gay and
lesbian organization, the bill includes two provisions dealing with
discrimination against homosexuals.  

Firstly, a provision that criminalizes every action that humiliates,
degrades, slanders, defames and so on an individual or a group because of
sexual orientation. Secondly, the bill makes it punishable to deny someone
service or merchandise because od sexual orientation. 

Samtoekin's magazine SAMTAKA '78 (January 1997) writes further that a total
number of 17 same-sex couples registered their partnerships during 1996. The
Icelandic partnership law gained legal force on June 27, 1996.

Samtoekin spokeswoman Klara Bjartmarz states finally in a faxed dated
Reykjavik January 12, 1997:

 "Our next priority is a bill regarding a full right for step-parent
adoption, and we hope that Althingi will come forward with that bill in the
next few months.

We are now preparing for our General meeting, which will be held on 
February 22. We are also beginning to search for new facilities. 
Our present center is far too small for all our activities and services."

Compiled by Bjoern Skolander
skolander@bahnhof.se