June 1994: the Pride Week in Paris
June 1994:
Paris Pride Week is organized by the Comité Gay Pride, an association gathering many individuals and associations to this aim. It is located at the centre Gai et Lesbien.
Unfortunatly the Police headquarter decided to reject the agreement to organize the Salon at the scheduled place, Quai de la Tournelle. This decision took place after that Gai Pied, the organizer of the Salon, started its promotion. Gai Pied is also the organizer of the annual ball, standing on July 13, Bastille Day eve, at the same place.
A lot of wind and sand, showers, but also friendly people sharing a good afternoon, in front of the Seine and of the Cathedrale Notre Dame.
The Salon will eventually take place on September 17 and 18, at the same location.
The route of the parade at Paris Jun 18 has been decided after a very long discussion with the police. It starts at Place de la République, goes to Place de la Bastille and ends at Place de la Nation: a very classical track for political demonstrations, but a long way from the center and the gay-land (Le Marais).
ACT-UP Paris' 5 years birthday cake:
Among many associations, Les Gais Retraités:
and Le Club de la Fessée:
Across Place de la Bastille:
Along rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence:
Arriving Place de la Nation:
The monument dedicated to the nation was actually Queer Nation (!):
The weather, exceptionally hot and sunny, might account for part of the success but it seems that the latter has also marked a reviving/raising political consciousness among the French LGBT community. A (re)awakening appears to be all the more essential in reaction to the recent rise of populist profamily/extreme right-wing parties. The don't-ask-don't-tell attitude, which has prevailed for ages in France and was justified by Republican ideals of tolerance and equal rights to anyone regardless of idiosyncracies turns out in such as context as inadequate an excuse for hypocrisy and cowardice.
Furthermore, the march was only the highlight of a successful and exciting Pride Week, and that makes Paris a potential candidate to be the host city of a Europride, should this tendency be confirmed.
Obviously, the march was a huge success, and a growing one; more than twice the number of 93', itself twice of 92'. For the first time, lesbians were truly visible, and many pride flags were shown (though some were set upside down!). At least, this march was important for those who participated for the first time. The march lasted more than 4 hours, and therefore was watched by a large crowd along the streets and was reported by the media. Right.
But, what image did we offer to the crowd and the media, in addition to this huge number? Mainly, "Fun and Aids", more a Parade than a March, with the american meaning of the "March on Washington", or "The March on the United Nations". However, it was a special opportunity: 25 years after Stonewall, 4 months after the Europarliament resolution (based on the Roth report), one week after the european elections, one week before the March on the U.N.. On such topics, very few (or no) slogans could be heard or seen. I believe that this opportunity, both of a revival of a political awareness and of putting forward another image, has been missed. I don't know to what extent it was this awareness which moved gays and lesbians to the march. It can be more accurately measured by the participation to the discussion panels organized at the new "Centre gai et Lesbien" all along the Pride Week (which were successful), to the demonstration against the homophobic italian candidate, or to the picnic in place of the yearly Salon de l'Homosocialite, not permitted this year; at most a few hundreds attended any of these events, which didn't get any coverage from the media.
Next year, could it be both a Parade and a March?
René
Copyright Gais et Lesbiennes Branchés,
1995
Photographs 1994
- René Lalement
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