What is the general attitude like toward gay people in France compared to that of the United States?

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Millie

I am from Paris and now live in Massachusetts which allows same-sex marriage so being in a gay-friendly state I do not find a huge difference but there are differences in how the issue is dealt with and how it impacts changes. The French may seem more advanced in some ways and behind the US in other ways.

The main difference is in "minority visibility". In France their cause is less debated publicly because gays have not had to fight for rights as vigorously as in other countries for at least two reasons:

1) As a general rule, the French are pretty indifferent about other people's private life. Whether they agree with it or not, their motto is "as long as they don't bother me, I don't bother them, let's leave it at that".

2) Legislation has been relatively tolerant which used to make Paris a haven of peace for a lot of gays from Europe. Then the PACS (Civil Union: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacte_civil_de_solidarit%C3%A9 ) was introduced which granted couples almost the same rights as marriage.

Since (until they gained media exposure in the 80's at the outbreak of AIDS) they were more or less ignored, they were not bothered but at the same time they didn't get a chance to be fully understood so I totally agree (once again) with Rillifane when he suggests that there is a lot of tolerance in France but not necessarily full acceptance yet. I have seen people in educated/intellectual circles giggle behind the backs of guys that sounded or looked effeminate even though they would consider themselves gay rights advocates.

I do not agree with him on the existence of gay-bashing though, this is not a typical form of expression in France. The French do not generally act out on whatever prejudice they may have and physical violence against any group is marginal and exceptional in France compared to other countries, as officially recognized by any international human rights groups. But the situation can still be bad because of family rejection. Some people, especially in rural areas where local gossip is more of a problem, may still reject a child when they find out he/she is gay. Fortunately such prejudice is decreasing quickly. But let's face it, even in gay-friendly Paris where it is so common to see heterosexual couples kissing in the street, outside the Marais district, you very rarely see two guys or two girls kissing or holding hands, and even though it may not arouse any hostility it would still make some heads turn in surprise (and still, for some people, disapproval). But as I go to Paris twice a year, I must say that I am beginning to see gay PDA outside the Marais so things may be changing slowly...

So France is ahead of the US for the most part in the sense that gays have enjoyed more rights and tolerance for a long time, but it is behind the US in addressing issues such as same-sex marriage (since a "happy medium" already exists) and child adoption by gay couples because, to answer your initial question, it is not a big deal. When I meet gay-friendly people in the US, they are all for same-sex marriage whereas a lot of gay-friendly French people are not so much in favor of it just because they don't see what more it can bring them since they already have the PACS. I used to be one of them until I realized through immigrating to the States to be with my American husband that if I had been gay I would not have been able to live in the same country as the person I love. (I have always been in favor of adoption by gay couples though). However, these issues are being addressed now that some other European countries have adopted same-sex marriage and opinions have been changing very quickly in the last few years. Polls show that the number of people in favor of these rights is increasing fast and constantly. One thing that is sure in France is that because of our respect for private life, sexual orientation will never have any impact on anyone's political career. The mayor of Paris is gay and will probably be running for president in 2012 and his being gay has never been and will never be an issue in any election.

If you are interested in the subject, you should watch this French movie called Le Placard (the closet). It is the story of a straight guy who learns that he is about to lose his job and has to pretend he is gay in order not to get fired (after someone tells him that employers are afraid of being accused of discrimination if they fire a gay person). http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Closet/60020777?trkid=189530&strkid=2039511440_0_0

un exile

we respect gay people , I think we are more tolerant than the US citizens about this

Robin Runesinger

Paris is like a gay Mecca. They are very tolerant of gay people, unless you get around the Alsace-Lorraine or Normandy areas. They're a little more rigid there.

Christine

Obviously Ryan B is ignorant, but I have some American gay friends who are in France and they have said that people are definitely more tolerant, and its just not as big of a deal. They've also said that the French gays are not like the stereotypical US gays, so they aren't as flamboyant.

David

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_rights_in_France

Rillifane

There is certainly a greater tolerance for Gays in France than in the United States but it would be overstating the case to suggest that tolerance rises to the level of full acceptance.

During the debate on PaCS (Pacte Civil de SolidaritÃ©) the discussion in the Chambre of Deputies was heavily laced with homophobia and there was at least one public demonstration in which anti-Gay zealots carried signs with slogans like "burn the Fags."

There are still Gay bashers to be found and outside of certain Gay friendly areas (such as the Marais in Paris) Gay websites often suggest that people be "discrete" to avoid hostile reactions.

It has also been noted by those same websites that French police can be "over-zealous" when enforcing apparently orientation neutral laws when the subjects are Gay.

The bottom line is that while there may be more legal tolerance there is still a long way to go before there is full acceptance.

EDUT@Millie: I agree that Gay bashing is rare in France but it does happen.

I have in mind the specific case of Sebastian Nouchet, a gay who nearly died in January 2004 when he was attacked in his home, doused with gasoline, and set on fire. It was his situation spurred the enactment of Hate Crimes legislation in France.

If Gay bashing were unknown their wouldn't be a need for the legislation.

david464014

The French don't care - remember that Oscar Wilde went there to escape UK and Irish persecution. What they do find irritating are gays and lesbians whose extreme dress and behaviour are a statement. Unless you're in Paris.

Ryan

Isn't French and Gay the same thing? I'm getting confused here.

- I was just kidding! My parents are in Paris as I type this. and yes France is more tolorant of gays.

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