Independent MP Ms. Sonja Jógvansdóttir has stunningly labelled Faroese right-wing parliament members as xenophobes, homophobes and racists.
In an interview with Danish newspaper Weekendavisen, Ms. Jógvansdóttir stated, when asked about the motion which she has put forward to allow citizens to change their legal gender from the age of 18, that “they (right-wing MPs ) try to hide behind a Biblical agenda, but at the end of the day they are xenophobes, homophobes, racists and what not.”
The motion was debated in Parliament last Tuesday. Unsurprisingly, neither coalition MPs, nor opposition MPs seemed to support it.
Coalition MPs pointed out that the motion is far too simplistic – “allowing transgender people the right to change their social security number does not do enough for them,” one MP said -, while opposition MPs stated that the motion will make changing gender too easy.
Opposition MP Gerhard Lognberg, who represents the conservative Union Party (Sambandsflokkurin), was arguably the biggest critic of the motion.
“This (motion) sounds scary. If you are a man, then you can become a woman, just because you feel like a woman. This is especially gross and lamentable,” Mr. Lognberg said.
Ms. Jógvansdóttir, the first openly gay MP in the Faroe Islands, is none too impressed by some of her colleagues in Parliament and pointed out to Weekendavisen that “they (right-wing MPs) try to hide behind a Biblical agenda, but at the end of the day they are xenophobes, homophobes, racists and what not. They hold the Bible in front of them and blame the Bible for their intolerance. And of course, it is very useful to be able to use the Bible like this,” Ms. Jógvansdóttir said.