Gay and lesbian Paris
France > Paris > Basics > Gay Paris
Paris is one of Europe's major centres for gay men, with numerous bars, clubs, restaurants, saunas and shops catering for a gay clientele. Its focal point is the Marais, whose central street, rue Ste-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, has visibly gay-oriented businesses at almost every other address. Lesbians are less well catered for commercially, but there are networks of feminist groups and specific publications that cater for the lesbian community.The high spots on the calendar are the huge annual Marche des Fiertés LGBT, or gay pride march, which normally takes place on the last Saturday in June, and the Bastille Day Ball (July 13, 10pm–dawn), a wild open-air dance on the quai de la Tournelle, 5e (M° Pont-Marie), which is free for all to join in. See "Festivals and Events" for further details. For a long time, the emphasis of the gay community in Paris tended towards providing the requisites for a hedonistic lifestyle – with the legal age of consent set at 16 and discrimination and harassment non-routine, campaigning was not a high priority. Matters changed somewhat with the advent of AIDS ("SIDA" in French), which caused a moderate surge in homophobia in the 1980s, though homophobic violence has always been very uncommon. A recent, positive development is the PACS law, passed in 1999, which allows couples over 18 of the same or different sex to sign a civil pact (se pacser), acknowledging their unity. In general, Parisians consider sexuality to be a private matter – no one seems any more bothered by the sexuality of Paris's gay mayor, Bertrand Delanoë, than they are by the sexual antics of straight politicians. On the whole, Paris is one of the world's great cities in which to be gay, though gays tend to be discreet outside specific venues, parades and the pink triangle between the Hôtel de Ville, the Bastille and Arts et Métiers.
Pages in section ‘Gay Paris’: Information and contacts, Nightlife, Accommodation and eating.
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