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History Daily

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir becomes the first LGBT head of state

History Daily

Airship | Noiser | Wondery

History

4.42.1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 February 2024

⏱️ 22 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

February 1, 2009. Icelandic politician Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is sworn in as the country's prime minister, becoming the first woman to hold that post in Iceland and the world's first openly gay head of government. This episode originally aired in 2022.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:03.7

Listen with Wonder Plus in the Wonder App.

0:06.0

Or you can get all of History Daily, plus other fantastic history podcasts at

0:10.5

Into History.

0:11.5

com. It's autumn,

0:15.0

it's autumn 1994 in Reykjavik, Iceland, in a packed meeting hall at the headquarters of the

0:26.0

Social Democratic Party or the SDP.

0:29.4

Party officials sit on stage in front of a packed audience filled with reporters and loyal party members.

0:34.7

They are waiting to hear the outcome of an election to determine who will be the party's next chairperson.

0:39.9

The frontrunner is a man named Jan Balvan HanHana Balson, who's been chair since in the 1980s,

0:45.8

but there are those in the ranks of the SDP who are ready for change.

0:50.0

Many of these party members support Hanabalsen's more progressive opponent,

0:53.5

Johanna Sigurdautur, a woman in her 50s who currently serves as Iceland's

0:58.0

Minister of Social Affairs.

1:00.2

As Johanna walked on stage, her supporters in the crowd cheer and applaud.

1:04.7

Johanna smiles and waves before taking her seat on the dais.

1:08.9

Johanna is nervous though, still confident.

1:12.0

She has a history of supporting causes like welfare reform and

1:15.1

equal pay for women and the workplace. She hopes her reputation as a champion for

1:19.6

social justice is enough to win her a victory.

1:23.0

Ahash falls over the crowd as a party official takes to the podium to announce the winner.

1:28.0

When Johanna hears the name Yon-Bald and Hanabalsen echo throughout the hall,

...

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