2022 Presidential election: Social issues are largely absent from the candidates' platforms

2022 Presidential election: Social issues are largely absent from the candidates' platforms (Kara)

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/article/2022/04/23/2022-presidential-election-social-issues-largely-absent-from-the-candidates-platforms_5981357_5.html

Despite LGTBQ+ issues becoming more and more important, it seems that the 2022 Presidential Election did not get the memo. Both candidates elected to the second tour did not take a strong stance on issues pertaining to the LGBTQ+ community. The incumbent, Emmanuel Macron stated that he would continue and uphold the work that has been done under his time as President. While Le Pen seemed to shy away from her usual stance which is in support of anti-LGBTQ+ policy. Previously, she had stated her outdated view that homosexuality is the same as pederastry. This was a common thought for many in the 1800s but should be abandoned in modern-day. The only candidate who seemed to take a strong stance was Eric Zemmour who is known for his homophobic, sexist, racist, and antisemitic views and policies. 

With recent trends in politics pushing individuals further right or left, the downplaying of social issues comes as no surprise. For either candidate to have the best chance of winning and capturing people who are on the fence, it is best not to state too many controversial topics. Although it shouldn’t be, LGBTQ+ legislature is still considered controversial. To win presidential elections, individuals rights are overlooked as to not offend anyone. For France too this doesn’t seem surprising as the French identity is put above any other individual identity.

Conflictions Between French Law and Society

 

I always thought of France as such an accepting and progressive country, and while it is, it’s been interesting to see where there’s a divergence between their political progression and social progression. While they are ahead of the US when it comes to protection and equality laws for the LGBTQ community, there still seems to be large pockets where being gay isn’t accepted. Or like in the past, technically being gay was legal, but they’d attempt to create different types of laws to combat it anyway.

When we went to the LGBTQ center in Lyon, I expected it to be more of a space for people within the community to hang out and just have a good time, a place to get together with people who understand you, and maybe that was ignorant of me, but the amount of people that clearly just come in needing to talk and needing support, even just in the short time we were there surprised me.  

After seeing that I was no longer surprised when Scott Turner Schofield told us of the reception that first play he was in received in Avignon where the audience literally booed them. But then when he came back as an established actor with his less extreme one man show they suddenly loved him. It just seems that there is some hypocrisy or again too much of a focus on french universalism and the “we accept you but only if you act like us” mentality. I’m curious what, if anything, will break through that.

What Makes Art Art?

 Last semester I went to the opera. My friends and I got all dressed up for what we expected to be a lovely little ballet. Instead, we were met with weird chanting, sharp movement, and what can’t be explained any way other than dry humping on stage. Turns out we should have done more research before just signing up for the first dance show we saw because three acts of weird modern dance were not what we had wanted. All of us left feeling like that was quite possibly the worst show we’d seen and it could hardly be counted as dance.

However, I’ve been thinking about it since visiting the Museum of Contemporary Art and while it still is not my preferred form of entertainment, I think I understand it more now.

The first act is the one that has stuck with me the most. Seven girls, chanting modern songs by female artists, rolling around together, clearly meant to be a celebration of the body and sexuality and a commentary on society. It reminds me a lot of the art of Thameur Majri and his broken bodies twisting away from the pressures just outside the canvas. Something does not have to be beautiful or “normal” to be art. 

The dance I went to was not normal, it forced its way in front of you and wouldn’t let you look away even if you wanted to, even if you’d prefer Swan Lake. It is LGBTQ activists making their way to the front of people’s consciousness and refusing to stay hidden over the years.

Covid-19 and its effects on the LGBTQ+ Community

 Covid-19 and its effects on the LGBTQ+ Community (Kara)

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20210517-covid-19-lockdowns-fuel-anti-lgbt-violence-in-french-families

With lockdowns and the pandemic, more individuals were cut off from their support systems outside of their homes and forced to stay inside. Due to this, many were put in dangerous situations as they no longer had a buffer between them, their families, and their differences. For members of the LGBTQ+ community, this meant that some had to return to homes that were not accepting of their identities which yielded an increase in individuals who were forced to leave home due to their families non-acceptance of themselves. With recent trends in politics continuing to become further right, this comes as less of a surprise with an uptick in conservatism which is generally less accepting of diversity. Since France adopts more of a French first, identity second lifestyle, some may see the LGBTQ+ community as a threat to French identity. Although this particular article is from early last year, the trends that caused such discrimination can easily be seen in French culture, society, and politics today. 

As for my own personal opinion, this came as a bit of a surprise to me mostly because I had previously believed that your sexual orientation in France was not as big of deal as it is in America and that the French were more lowkey about such topics. However, as I previously stated with the rise in the far right’s support this should have come as no surprise. The same trends that were seen in the United States can also be seen in France. Unfortunately, with the push to stay indoors many vulnerable communities were put at higher risk. In France and around the world, “coming out” can be a dangerous step to take especially when your family is unwilling to accept their own family. In many countries it is dangerous to be publicly “out” and in others like France and the United States, you still risk facing a lot of stigma, potentially losing friends, and dealing with a tense family situation. This does not mean to say that individuals should not come out, but rather to highlight the obstacles that the LGBTQ+ community faces in trying to be themselves. 

France has lifted its ban on queer men giving blood

 

France has lifted its ban on queer men giving blood

https://news.yahoo.com/france-just-lifted-homophobic-blood-134632476.html

Starting in March 2022, Olivier Véran, the Health Minister of France, stated on twitter that questions regarding sexual orientation will no longer be present in the discussion of donating blood. He said this new change would, “put an end to an inequality that was no longer justified”. This sanction dates all the way back to 1983 which is interesting because it was not until the early 1990s that France’s supply of donated blood was contaminated with HIV. Originally somewhat lifted in 2016, the government first allowed people to donate only if they had proof of one year of abstinence. Four months later due to rightful outrage from the community, this time frame was changed to four months of abstinence in 2019. Today, in lieu of sexual orientation questions, donors will be asked about HIV prevention treatments and drug use. Matthieu Gatipon-Bachette, spokesperson for the L’interassociative Lesbienne, Gaie, Bi et Trans, states, “There must obviously be a health safety framework to respect, but it must not be based on the sexual orientation of the donor”.

           This article is a fantastic example of France’s tendency to quietly keep homophobic laws in place long after they should. In 1942, the Vichy Government changed the age of consent for homosexual relationships to 21 while it remained 15 for heterosexual relationships. This law was safeguarded under multiple articles in the constitution until 1974. While there were no laws directly criminalizing homosexuality, this laws was sufficient enough to make life harder for the LGBTQ+ community while also ostracizing their lives and love. The blood donation law also made it clear that the government considered gay men as dangerous and unhealthy as a whole community. This subtly reinforces discriminatory thought and behavior in French society. The ban being lifted will now help the community a chance to rebuild trust in the department of public health.

French trans citizens now allowed to change their name and gender without surgery

French trans citizens now allowed to change their name and gender without surgery.

https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/frances-new-law-allows-pre-op-transgender-citizens-change-name-gender-marker/

In 2016 France implemented a new legal gender recognition procedure. This, similar to procedures in countries like Denmark, Malta, Ireland, and Norway, no longer required trans citizens to prove sterilization or have proof of medical treatment in order to change their legal name or gender. This also makes gender recognition more accessible to citizens, especially emancipated minors. However, it is not perfect as individuals are still not able to make these changes on their own and are still required to be legally recognized by a court. Regardless, the decision is a step in the right direction. Evelyne Paradis, ILGA-Europe Executive Director insists that, “the fight will go on for full equality and respect for trans people in France”.

           As one stepping stone on the path towards full equality and acceptance of the French trans community, this event brings them closer to bodily autonomy. This legislation is a good example of the French mindset towards topics such as LGBTQ+ rights. It is slowly inching towards self-determination but is not quite getting there. While seemingly extremely progressive from the outside, the French tradition of universalism is holding it back. In this case, a trans person is able to legally change their name or gender, but only if the state approves of it. Regardless, compared to the United States this law places France ahead when concerning trans rights. Many states in the U.S. still require gender reassignment therapy as well as hormone and psychological therapy.