A country of 50,000 citizens sandwiched between Iceland and Norway, the Faroe Islands is one of the smallest nations on earth. But on on July 27 more than 5,000 celebrants—including Reykjavik mayor Jón Gnarr—took the streets of the capital city, Torshavn, to celebrate LGBT Pride and press for full equality.

The event, the island’s first Pride celebration in five years, was produced by LGBT Føroyar  which is also pressuring the government to endorse gay marriage and adoption.  It is currently the only Nordic country not to do so. (Anti-discrimination laws based on sexual orientation were introduced in 2006.)

A new marriage-equality bill, expected to be introduced in the fall, has split the country’s parliament 50/50, an advance LGBT Føroyar says would have been “unthinkable” just a few years ago.

Click through for more images from Faroe Pride 2012

Photos: LGBT Føroyar