Sonja Jógvansdóttir

Sonja J. Jógvansdóttir (born 9 November 1977^[1] in Tórshavn)^[2] is a Faroese journalist, establisher and coordinator of SAMTAK (National trade union center|Faroese trade union center) and politician, who until 16 September was a member of Social Democratic Party (Javnaðarflokkurin). She is a spokesperson for the rights of homosexual people and their rights in the Faroe Islands and was one of the establisher of LGBT Faroe Islands in 2011.^[3][4][5]

Political career

On 1 September 2015 Jógvansdóttir became the first Faroese person, who lives openly as a homosexual, who was elected to the Faroese parliament.^[6][7] She received second most votes of the Social Democratic Party. A few days after the election and just after the government of Aksel V. Johannesen was appointed she left the Social Democratic Party. The reason she left according to herself was that she did not wish to be a part of a homophobic party, as she felt that it was. At the same time she promised that she would support the government of Aksel V. Johannesen.^[8] As of March 2016 she is still an independent politician in the Løgting. The government coalition parties of the Løgting have only 16 members of 33, after the exit of Jógvansdóttir.

Bill on same sex marriage

On 24 September 2015 Jógvansdóttir along with Republic member of the Løgting Bjørt Samuelsen, Social Democratic member Kristianna Winther Poulsen and Progress member Hanna Jensen, submitted a same-sex marriage bill to the Parliament Secretariat.^[9] The bill entered Parliament on 17 November 2015. If approved, the law would be scheduled to go into effect on 1 July 2016. The first reading took place 24 November 2015.^[10][11] The second reading is expected to take place in the week that starts on 7 March 2016.^[12]

References