When the State Owes You Happiness

The AIDS Crisis in Iceland 1983-1994 and the Making of New and Reformed Homosexual Citizens

Abstract

Despite a recent interest in Icelandic LGBTQ+ history, the impact of the AIDS crisis remains an underexplored field. This article focuses on the AIDS crisis in Iceland from the early 1980s to the publication of a state report on the status of homosexuals in Iceland in 1994. Taking as its point of departure the concept of intimate citizenship and critical theories of happiness, this article explores the links between HIV and AIDS and legal reform and asks how representations of AIDS influenced the construction of an (ideal) homosexual citizen in Iceland. By analyzing governmental sources such as resolutions, parliamentary discussions, and reports, as well as media representations of the first Icelander to come forward as an HIV-positive gay man, this article argues that the AIDS crisis played a critical role in forcing Icelandic authorities to develop new ways of approaching the homosexual community.