Gearing up for Pride Radicale (2024) | Marko Vuorinen / Courtesy of the artist
“We are transfeminists, radicals, and afroqueers,” marchers shouted. “Get used to it!” Their call echoed through a crowd of 28,000, gathered in the heart of Paris to advocate for the rights of gender and sexual minorities.
Summer is Pride season around the world, and Paris is no exception. The main event is undoubtedly the official Pride march, Marche des Fiertés, which this June attracted 110,000 people, according to organizers. Like New York’s Pride, which was born out of the 1969 Stonewall riots and has since inspired marches around the world, the official Paris march is increasingly viewed more as a festive celebration than a political rally, with the atmosphere leaning more toward sipping champagne than burning tires. However, this year’s Marche des Fiertés was more politically charged than usual, taking place the day before the first round of a parliamentary election in which France’s far-right National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, would only narrowly miss out on victory, finishing just a few percentage points behind the leftist New Popular Front.
Celebrating the official Marche des fiertés march (2024) | Marko Vuorinen
With the growth of right-wing extremism, France’s LGBTQ+ community has been made a scapegoat and faces hostility in the accompanying culture wars. A report from the French interior ministry highlighted a 19 percent surge in serious anti-LGBTQ+ incidents in 2022, including assaults and harassment, and a 13 percent jump in 2023.
These troubling statistics bring new urgency to critiques of Paris Pride’s apparent complacency. The call for change was particularly strong at Pride Radicale, an alternative event held a week before the official march. Pride Radicale’s message was clear: while the official Pride risks becoming a commercial parade, trans youth are being lost to violence, and too many are turning a blind eye. The event repeatedly emphasized, “Either we all have the same fundamental rights, or none of us have rights.”
French societal attitudes are also starkly evident within Paris’s nightlife scene. “We are still getting used to the extreme reactions and often aggression we face,” wrote nonbinary design duo Hannah Rose Dalton and Steven Raj in an Instagram post launching the queer club night Paris Hates Me. The pair, who work under the moniker Matières Fécales (Fecal Matter), relocated from Montreal two years ago and have felt marginalized in Paris, despite the city’s reputation for being LGBTQ+-friendly. “It’s been life-changing living here—we’ve met some incredible people and received so much support, but on the other side, we’ve also faced so much hate daily from closed-minded people … It’s dangerous to stand out in this city and can be really difficult to navigate if you are expressing your individuality.”
France’s journey toward LGBTQ+ equality has been fraught with challenges. The last major surge in anti-LGBTQ+ violence occurred in 2013, following the legalization of same-sex marriage and adoption rights. In the wake of these legislative changes, incidents of homophobic discrimination skyrocketed by a staggering 78 percent.
In the week leading up to the event, Pride Radicale’s social media underscored that its goal went beyond politeness, aiming to drive real, immediate change. The event championed an anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-ableist, radical, and feminist agenda, refusing to yield to fear, oppression, or harassment. Everyone should have the right to determine and define their bodies, gender, sexuality, beliefs, and where they live—free from restrictions, state dictates, or compromises.
Getting ready for the Pride Radicale event (2024) | Marko Vuorinen
Throughout the four weeks of June, certain Parisian traditions remained unchanged from march to march, unifying a diverse movement. At protests in Paris, there are always those bold enough to climb onto bus shelters to sing, play music, and dance. Some even twerk.
