August, 1997
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Paris hosts a dazzling EuroPride

by Jorjet Harper

Gay Paree lived up to its name with an event-filled, dazzling, two-week-long pride celebration this year, as host of the pan-European event known as "EuroPride."

Each year a different European city is chosen as the EuroPride site, and this year it was Paris's turn. With a police estimate of 150,000 and parade organizers' estimates of twice that number, it was generally conceded that well over 200,000 people from all over Europe marched through the streets of Paris for the EuroPride 97 parade June 28.

The parade kicked off at the Place de la République and made its way down the wide Parisian tree-lined avenues as bystanders and well-wishers watched and waved from sidewalk cafes, benches, and the ornate wrought-iron balconies of buildings that lined the route. The march passed through the historic Place de la Bastille, where the infamous prison that was stormed during the French Revolution once stood, and ended at the Pelouse de Reuilly, a large grassy field in the southwest portion of the city, where entertainment and social activities carried on the high-spirited mood of the march.

After the parade, there were several large venues where gay men and lesbians could party hearty. A EuroPride Concert featured Jimmy Sommerville, Yazz & Tony, Yvette Horner "The Accordion Queen" (who paid a special French tribute to the "Ville en Rose" - the Pink City), Boy George protégé Eve Gallagher, and other entertainers. An open-air dance was held at the Pelouse de Reuilly from midnight till dawn, followed by a breakfast, brunch, and more festivities that continued through Sunday evening.

At the other end of town, not far from the Arc de Triomphe that caps the famous Avenue de Champs-Elysées, a post-parade Lesbian Forum was at the spacious Salle Wagram. The forum featured over 150 exhibits by lesbian artists, writers, organizations, booksellers and media people - a rare opportunity for lesbians to network internationally and learn about each other's work. At 11 p.m. the booths closed down to clear the space for a women-only dance that lasted until dawn and attracted 3,000 lesbian revelers.

Other annual gay and lesbian events were coordinated in Paris to coincide with EuroPride. EuroGames 5, a two-week European-wide gay-games competition modeled on the International Gay Games and sponsored by the European Gay & Lesbian Sports Federation (EGLSF) began June 18.

A cultural series called Eurosalon was also held in conjunction with pride week, featuring four days of conferences and debates on political, social, literary, cultural, and medical questions. More than a hundred associations, businesses and other enterprises exhibited at the Salon over five days. Such topics as Homosexuality and Identity, Illness in Writing, Internet, Gays on Television, and Gay Parenting, were the subjects of panel discussions, and a Literary Salon discussed gay and lesbian literature while authors like Armistead Maupin signed their books as guests of Paris's gay and lesbian bookstore, Les Mots à la Bouche. People could view exhibits of the works of Tom of Finland and Orion Delain, and go on gay-specific guided tours.

More intimate and spontaneous EuroPride gaiety radiated out from Paris's gayest area, the Marais district, to all parts of the city. Some gay bars and restaurants stayed open all night. Theme parties - ranging from fancy dress to underwear-only - abounded. A Dyke Party rave was held at a previously undisclosed location for the pierced eyebrow set, while a more issue-oriented dyke conference drew European lesbians to the Maison des Femmes (Women's House). Complementary drinks and snacks were served at gay boutiques. Rainbow flag cocktails sloshed colorfully at the trendy Banana Café. The Gay and Lesbian Center even hosted a gala dinner for 200 guests who got "high" at that quintessential Parisian tourist mecca, the Eiffel Tower; the $90 donation included not only apéritif, food and a drink at the posh Altitude Restaurant, but also the scenic elevator ride up.

EuroPride was endorsed by a number of mainstream French businesses, including the high profile nationwide bookstore chain La Fnac. The event was not without some controversy, however, as far-right leader Jean Marie Le Pen condemned EuroPride as a "parade of pedophiles" and called for a boycott of corporations and organizations supporting gay and lesbian rights. It is thought his rhetoric backfired, however, as the general public appeared to recognize Le Pen's statements as hate tactics, and it was unlikely that the attack would have any negative impact on the events' sponsors.

Another controversy arose when lesbians discovered that money raised at any event that was advertised as a part of "Gay and Lesbian EuroPride" would have to be turned over to the EuroPride committee. Consequently, some lesbian organizers conducted pride events under the alternate rubric "Fierté Lesbienne" (Lesbian Pride), a name which is not copyrighted by EuroPride, so that revenues they collected could be channeled back to local lesbian groups. Many lesbians, carrying such signs as "Existe-t-il des Hétéros sapiens?" (Is there such a thing as a heterosapien?) and "Ce que femme vieut, lesbienne le peut!" (What a woman wants, lesbians can do!) marched behind a purple Fierté Lesbienne banner at the parade, to much applause from bystanders.

A conference called "Homosexuality and the Law: From Depenalization to Full Acceptance," was hosted by the Institut International Paris at La Défense, the Oz-like skyscraper enclave in Paris's northwestern suburbs. This conference held colloquiums on marriage, social security, and "the suppression of homophobic language." A major political theme of this year's EuroPride was "a true European citizenship for all lesbians and gays," and a platform statement was proposed by the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) mandating that an anti-discrimination clause for sexual orientation be included in any future European treaty.

Pride Around the World

by Rex Wockner

It's pride season and here's what's going down around the planet.

More than 30 gay organizations staged Taiwan's first gay/lesbian pride festival: "Rainbows, Homosexuals and Dreams in the Park."

The park was 2-28 Memorial Park, a notorious cruising spot and the setting for Pai Hsien-yung's famed gay novel Crystal Boys.
In Mexico City, about 5,000 people marched down Paseo de la Reforma, the city's main boulevard, from Chapultepec Forest to Alameda Central. Reforma skirts one side of the Zona Rosa, the city's gay neighborhood.

They chanted, "No political freedom without sexual freedom." It was the city's 19th pride march. Coverage of the march appeared in 12 of Mexico City's daily newspapers and on nine radio stations and six television channels.

In Berlin, organizers said 60,000 people marched but police said there were only 10,000. Many marchers carried signs calling for recognition of gay partnerships.

Five hundred people marched in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In Toronto, estimates of the turnout - by police, organizers and reporters - ranged from 750,000 to 1 million. Dykes on Bikes and topless female contingents captured much attention. A recent Ontario court ruling made it legal for women to bare their breasts in public as long as their intentions are not sexual.

"By standing firm against discrimination and intolerance, you have forged strong and vibrant communities in our city," Mayor Barbara Hall told marchers.

In Rio de Janeiro, about 1,000 people paraded down Copacabana beach for two hours to the beat of Afro-Brazilian drums. It was the city's third pride march. "This march is a matter of citizenship, greater tolerance and harmony," said Raimundo Pereira of the gay group Atoba. "Homosexuality is not a sickness or an abnormality, but just another sexual preference."

According to Reuters, "transvestites with 10-inch platform shoes, exotic costumes and thick makeup charmed the crowds, but mock lesbian brides dressed in long white wedding gowns stole the show."

The brides were accompanied by "sexy transvestite bridesmaids in neon green and orange wigs, short black dresses and fishnet stockings," the news service said.

Brazil's Congress is considering a wide-ranging domestic- partnership law that would grant same-sex couples many of the rights and responsibilities of matrimony.

In Israel, the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women hosted a pride-week meeting with gay and lesbian activists, chaired by Labor MK Yael Dayan. Deputy Health Minister Shlomo Benizri (Shas party) passed by the meeting room and moved on quickly "before I catch some virus," activists reported.

About 3,000 people showed up at Lisbon, Portugal's first Pride Festival in Principe Real Park. The events, which included a variety show and a fireworks display, were heavily covered by the national media.

Eighty thousand people marched in London, England, July 5 and 300,000 attended the post-parade festival on Clapham Common.

New Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair sent openly gay National Heritage Secretary MP Chris Smith to represent him. Smith is Britain's first openly gay Cabinet member.

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