On June 11th, the law to legalize gay marriage passed without any opposition in Parliament and June 27th marked the first day that the new law came into effect. The law allowed the Prime Minister to marry her long-term partner, Jonina Leosdottir, after eight years of being registered as a civil union. This is the first time that a world leader has married her same-sex partner and as the world’s only openly gay prime minister, Johanna Sigurdardottis has provided an important role model for the gay and lesbian community.

The legalization of gay marriage in Iceland holds none of the controversy or debate that hinders the passage of this law in the U.S. In fact, Johanna Sigurdardottir has inspired many Icelandic women to embrace their unique qualities rather than hiding them. Rut Magnúsdóttir, Chief Operating Office of daGeek, a new social networking site, discusses why the Prime Minister is one of her role models. “Unlike other social networking sites, daGeek tries to get people to express who they are and what they are passionate about rather than just trying to impress people. Johanna is not afraid of who she is or what people think, that’s what I love about her. She is completely unique.”

Interestingly, daGeek has had page solely dedicated to Gay Pride created, which Ms. Magnúsdóttir has attributed to the legalization of gay marriage and upcoming Gay Pride Festival in Reykjavik. With Reykjavik’s Gay Pride Festival fast approaching, newly married couples will finally have the chance to march with their legally recognized spouses. The festival begins on August 5th and lasts until August 9th, with several family events during the day and dance parties that last all night. The main parade will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday August 7th and turnout is expected to be at least 70,000 people, which is about 25% of the Iceland’s population.