Owl Fisher is a writer, filmmaker and campaigner. They are a co-creator of the My Genderation film project and an adviser for All About Trans

On 24 October 1975 90% of all women in Iceland went on strike. Twenty-five thousand women – more than 10% of the country’s population – made their way to the parliamentary square to rally for their rights. Since that day, Iceland has been at the forefront of women’s rights, and since 2009 it has been at the top of the World Economic Forum global gender gap index.

That doesn’t mean the fight is won though, and Icelandic women continue the battle for true equality – not just for women, but for the LGBT community too. Despite a reputation for being one of the most progressive nations towards LGBT people, Iceland has in fact not always gone as far as it could. A recent bill – a form of self-identification for trans people – has moved the country further along. The prime minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, was the driving force. For her, it was a way to ensure that Iceland was again setting an example for the world. “Well, you could say that we have been running a little bit behind, but now with this legislation we’re actually again at the front. So it took some time I think for this small group of people to actually get heard.”

Much like the feminist movement, trans people have struggled to be heard. While in Britain so often trans rights are considered in opposition to women’s rights, in Iceland the two are seen not just as compatible, but complementary. These movements aren’t disconnected. On the contrary, the reason the wider LGBT movement in Iceland has been so successful is thanks to the feminist movement, which has inspired and fought alongside them. Even though the Women’s Strike in 1975 may have been about basic civil rights in Iceland, its effect still lives on and emboldens the human rights movement as a whole. Read more via Guardian