Iceland’s First Female — and First Openly Gay — Prime Minister
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (born 1942) made history in 2009 when she became Iceland’s first female Prime Minister — and the first openly gay head of government in the world.
Her government was also the first in Icelandic history to have an equal number of women and men in ministerial positions.
Before entering politics, Jóhanna worked as a flight attendant and office clerk, experiences that shaped her lifelong commitment to social justice and equality. She was elected to Parliament in 1978 and went on to become Iceland’s longest-serving Member of Parliament, holding her seat for an impressive 35 years, until 2013.
Throughout her political career, Jóhanna championed welfare and social issues, always advocating for society’s most vulnerable. As Prime Minister, she led Iceland through one of its darkest chapters — the 2008 financial crisis — steering the country toward recovery with a steady hand, empathy, and integrity.
Jóhanna’s leadership broke barriers, not only for women and LGBTQ+ people in Iceland, but worldwide.