Why do these events take place in June around the world? When was the first march of this type in France? Are people who are not LGBT+ welcome? Answers with researchers and associations on the occasion of the big Parisian event, Saturday afternoon.
“Against transphobia: transsolidarity”. Inter-LGBT calls on Parisians to march in defense of transgender people during the Paris Pride march, Saturday, June 29 at 1:30 p.m. A slogan decided on due to current political events, while Emmanuel Macron judges “grotesque” the proposal of the New Popular Front to have one’s marital status modified at town hall, and that a Republican bill in the Senate wants to very strongly limit the gender transitions of minors.
Like every year at this time, several parades take place, in France and around the world, to defend the rights of LGBT+ people. But do you know why? Franceinfo answers the questions you may be asking yourself about “prides”.
1 What is a Pride March?
“It’s a clever mix of activism and celebration”explains Anne-Lise Ceran, co-president of the Nosig association, which has organized the Nantes pride march since 2001. “It is above all something militant, since it is a moment to (…) highlight the discrimination that our community can feel on a daily basis and to express our demands”, she explains. The marches are also an opportunity “to remember that in some countries being an LGBT+ person is still punishable by death or prison, that in some places you cannot unite or adopt children”adds James Leperlier, president of Inter-LGBT, the federation of associations which organizes the march in Paris.
But this demonstration “must also remain a time of celebration”For “celebrate who we are, in our diversity”says Anne-Lise Ceran. “It’s an event that allows us to show, first and foremost to LGBT+ people, but also to society, that we are happy and proud of who we are, and that we will not hide not”adds James Leperlier.
Witness to the mix between militant and festive aspects, the marches have slogans related to the political issues of the moment (the right to marriage and adoption, medically assisted procreation, etc.). But the processions are punctuated by DJs, choirs or floats, and people often come in groups to meet up. In Paris, a free concert is organized at the end of the demonstration. In other cities, cultural events such as film festivals or exhibitions are added to the demonstrations.
2 Where does this tradition come from?
Pride marches around the world, commonly organized in June, commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred in New York in June 1969. And this, even if they are not necessarily the “direct heirs”explains Guillaume Marche, professor of American civilization at Paris-Est Créteil University and specialist in LGBT+ movements in the United States.
On June 28, 1969, in a New York bar called Stonewall Inn, frequented by many homosexuals, transgender people, drag queens and prostitutes, a police raid turned into a confrontation. At the time, these law enforcement operations were “quite common, in a context of police repression against LGBT+ people”recalls Guillaume Marche. These are regularly arrested in bars, notably for “indecent assault” in the case of kissing.
That evening, the police who entered the establishment found themselves faced with a crowd that was not giving in. “Those who had been arrested started to protest; we started to throw objects, coins, anything we could get our hands on, at the police cars. We hadn’t consulted at all, but this time we said to each other: ‘That’s enough'”told a participant in 2019 to Release. Result: the face-to-face turned into a riot, which continued for five days. After these clashes, numerous organizations defending LGBT+ rights were born across the Atlantic.
“The first gay prides were then organized from the following year in the United States, then around the world, to commemorate the events of June 1969.”
Guillaume Marche, historian specializing in LGBT+ movements in the United Statesat franceinfo
Yet, “there were already gatherings of homosexuals who presented themselves in public spaces with their faces uncovered to say: ‘we exist'”notes the historian. The Stonewall riots nevertheless played a role in consolidating the movements and marches that were beginning to emerge.
3 And in France, since when has it existed?
In France, “the first appearance in the public space of homosexuals and lesbians claiming to be such dates back to May 1, 1971”underlines Mathias Quéré, researcher at Paris-Cité University. Activists from the Homosexual Front for Revolutionary Action (Fhar), a radical left-wing collective born in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968, burst into the May 1st parade organized by the unions.
During the 1970s, LGBT+ activism developed and “Gay Liberation Groups (GLH) are appearing in around thirty cities in France”notes the historian. Finally, on June 25, 1977, the first autonomous march of homosexuals and lesbians was organized in the capital, in support of the American LGBT+ movement which, behind the deputy Harvey Milk, denounced discriminatory laws. The ancestor of the Parisian pride march then brought together only a few hundred people.
Given the proximity of the presidential election, with the prospect of the left coming to power, the Emergency Anti-Homosexual Repression Committee (Cuarh) organized a new march, on April 4, 1981 in Paris, to demand the end of legal discrimination against LGBT+ people. The success of the gathering – more than 10,000 people participated – marks the start of the annual organization of pride marches in France.
4 But wasn’t it called “gay pride” before?
The names of pride marches have evolved over time. The expression “gay pride” (“gay pride” in English) has been the most widely used term in the United States and around the world to designate annual marches since the 1980s. But this name has evolved over time, particularly to be more representative of the diversity of LGBT+ people, while the acronym covers a wide variety of identities: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, but also intersex or asexual people…
The term “pride”, widely used to designate French marches in recent years, “is more inclusive”justifies activist Anne-Lise Ceran. The term “pride” is now also used alone, in the same desire for inclusiveness.
5 Why march for LGBT+ people and not for others?
“In reaction to the rights obtained by LGBT+ people over the last twenty years, particularly in North America and Europe, we are seeing the emergence of a discourse which considers that equality has been achieved, and that there is therefore no longer any need to claim ‘LGBT+ pride'”, says researcher Guillaume Marche. For example, supporters of former US President Donald Trump organized a “straight pride parade” in Boston in September 2019, in response to an LGBT+ march in June in the same city, reports local channel NBC Boston. These protest speeches sometimes go as far as “the questioning of the rights acquired by the LGBT+ minority”also notes Guillaume Marche.
However, LGBT+ people continue to suffer different forms of discrimination, have not yet acquired all the rights they claim throughout the world and even see certain achievements called into question, the associations point out. “Being straight does not pose a problem for getting housing or a job and is not likely to lead to assault on the street”says Anne-Lise Ceran, of the Nosig association, who ensures that “As long as there is no complete equality, we will continue to march.”
6 By whom are these events organized, and with what funding?
Pride marches are organized by one or more LGBT+ associations, often grouped within the same territory. To finance these parades, they draw on their own funds (donations, memberships, etc.), but can also benefit from subsidies from local authorities. Some organizers resort to private partnerships with companies, which provide material resources for holding marches in exchange for showing their support during the event.
Finally, associations can require organizations wishing to participate in the procession (other LGBT+ associations, professional organizations, political parties, etc.) to pay registration fees to parade. On the day itself, the organizers sometimes collect funds (donations, refreshments, etc.) to replenish the cash flow which will be used to organize the march the following year.
7 Are there marches only in big cities?
While these demonstrations first emerged in major American and then Western cities, they have also spread to certain capitals in the rest of the world and, sometimes, to more rural areas. In France, there are some 80 pride marches organized in 2024, according to a census by the LGBTI+ federation. They are mainly held in large cities, but also take place in towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants such as Ancenis (Loire-Atlantique), Saint-Martin-d’en-Haut (Rhône) or Tignes (Savoie). In recent years, gatherings have even taken place in certain villages, such as Molines-en-Queyras (Hautes-Alpes), Saint-Laurent (Lot-et-Garonne) or Chenevelles (Vienne), which has hosted a rural pride march since 2022.
In addition to these marches in new places, thematic gatherings have made their mark appearance in cities where demonstrations sometimes already existed: night prides, lesbian marches, suburban pride marches or radical pride… These “counter-marches” are “more politicized and radical” than their elders, notes historian Guillaume Marche. Their multiplication reflects in particular “the desire of some, within the LGBT+ movements, to escape the influence of sponsors [présents depuis les années 1980] and the feeling of commercialization of LGBT+ identities and mobilizations”, he adds. The emergence of these new markets also testifies to “the desire to accentuate, or to claim, the visibility of segments of the LGBT+ community” who benefit from less social acceptance and who carry their own demands (trans people, LGBT+ and racialized people, etc.).
8 Are people who are not LGBT+ welcome?
The vast majority of pride marches welcome all people who wish to participate, whether they are LGBT+ or not. “The more people there are, the better, because it shows that it’s not just LGBT+ people who support their rights and share their pride”says James Leperlier, president of Inter-LGBT. She also appreciates the presence of these “allies” – a term which designates people not directly concerned by a militant cause, but who support it – “hyper important”, Anne-Lise Ceran specifies that “it is also important to let those who are directly concerned express themselves as a priority” during these events.