The Transgender day of Rememberance is held in November every year to honor Rita Hester, whose murder in 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. November 20th Sass Rogando Sasot from the Philippines will do a presentation/dialogue  tenatively named: The philippinese LGBT community - experience and opinions. The event will take place in the Queer Center on Laugavegur 3, 4th floor starting at 8 pm.

Club MSC ICELAND has reopened on it´s new location at Laugavegur 28. MSC ICELAND has been the heart of the leather scene in Iceland but it has also attracted men of all types who simply like the company of like minded guys and relaxed atmosphere. 

Last few weeks have not made any sense at all for Icelanders with the economy going into a tailspinning never seen before. The Icelandic krona has fallen dramatically and the local stock market has fallen 90 percent after Iceland´s largest banks were nationalized.  But with every struggle comes an opportunity. Iceland is becoming a cheap destination with growing number of tourists visiting last month compared to last year.

The Icelandic documentarian Olaf de Fleur Johannesson has certainly made a name for himself. His most recent film, The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela has receieved a well earned attention at film festivals around the world. The film tells the story of the ladyboy Raquela from the Philippines who dreams of escaping the streets of Cebu City for a fairy tale life in Paris. Tired of working the streets, she turns to internet porn, where she seems to hit the goldmine – a chance to travel to Iceland, and an offer of a visa from Michael, the website’s New York based owner.

The Queer Center on Laugavegur 3 (4th floor)  is now open 3 nights a week. Cafe/Bar and library is open Monday nights and Thursday nights from 8 to 11.00. On Saturdays Cafe/Bar and library is open from 1 pm to 5 pm and Cafe/Bar is open Saturday nights from 8 pm to midnight. Office is open weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm

The National Queer Organization, Samtökin ‘78, is an interest and an activist group for homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals in Iceland. The organisation’s goal is for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual persons to be visible and recognised and enjoy their rights to the fullest in Icelandic society.

Lovisa Elisabet Sigrunardottir a.k.a. LayLow who has been described as the Iceland's bluesiest chanteuse is ready with a new album. She took Iceland with a surprise when releasing her 2006 debut Please Don't Hate Me and was on top of the Icelandic charts for weeks. Since then LayLow has been very busy performing all over in Iceland and elsewhere. When the National Queer Organization celebrated approved legislation in 2007 LayLow was there to share her charisma and music.

Reykjavik Queer Film Festival has just ended and at the closing party two films were awarded. The film 'A Country Teacher' (Venkovský ucitel) by the Czech director Bohdan Sláma received this year´s Queer Film Award. The film tells the story of a  talented and intelligent teacher who is hired at a school in the countryside, a brilliant film about secret desire, rejection and the search for love.

Sandi Dubowski will be sharing his experience at a meeting October 3rd in The Rainbow Room, the locals of Samtökin ´78, the National Queer Center at Laugavegur 3. Sandi DuBowski is the Producer of A Jihad for Love (featured at RIFF) and Director/Producer of the award-winning Trembling Before G-d, an unprecedented feature documentary that shatters assumptions about faith, sexuality, and religious fundamentalism.