While exploring what places I wanted to write about, I knew I had to stop at the L bar to see what it was like. L bar is the only lesbian bar in Lyon. When I heard that there was a lesbian bar, I was fairly surprised, as most places do not have bars that cater strictly towards queer women, so I was determined to go check it out. It is conveniently located just a few blocks away from the Hôtel de Ville metro stop. As with most bars in Lyon, it is not very big, having a small inside area that looks to be dedicated to gathering or dancing primarily, where the actual bar is located. The outside area has a few tables with string lights set up, this is where I sat to try and get some breeze. As I went fairly early in the afternoon, there were not many people there, just myself and two other woman at another table. Something I noticed in regards to what I have learned about French culture, is that it is not noticeably a queer bar from afar. This seems normal to French standards, as the bar fits with the other bars on the street uniformly, just like how LGBTIA+ people are expected to conform into the rest of French culture without being too outwardly queer. The atmosphere in the bar was welcoming and comfortable. The bartender was very personable and asked me about my life in Lyon and how I was settling in. She also told me a bit about her life her, as well as running a bar with her wife while also having children. It was overall a wonderful experience. The one disappointing thing I noticed was that it was not as well frequented as both the other bars on the street and as other gay bars I have been to in Lyon, even at this time. It goes to show how queer women are often pushed aside in the community to cater towards queer men due to most of the queer community still existing within the patriarchy. Overall, it was still a wonderful experience and I hope to come back before I leave to experience the bar at its fullest.
I started out my field day in the Basilique de Fourvière. Since Roman Catholicism plays a significant role in both my queer experience, and the experiences of French LGBTQIA+ people, I thought that visiting a church of some might be beneficial. The basilique is a grand church overlooking the city of Lyon from the hill of Fourvière. The church and the outside constrasted greatily with the bright sun and white exterior of the church and the dark wood and gold accents of the inside. When stepping inside, I was in awe of the grand woodwork and painting as seen in the photo taken. The atmosphere in there felt larger than life and extremely extravagant. This church in particular holds a lot of significance to the LGBTQIA+ community in France as it demonstrates the power and hold the Catholic Church has over French society, that even though the government and country might be secular, a main tourist attraction of Lyon continues to be a church. It relates back to French history in regard to the LGBTQIA+ community because it shows how long the Catholic church has been in power in the country and the influence it has always had, which can be shown through the phrase of referring to the hill of Fourvière as the hill that prays. This differs from the way religion affects the United States. While the U.S. is very affected by religion in the country, it is not affected primarily by one sect, just Christianity in a broader sense, while in France, Catholicism affects most parts of French life and culture. This hold religion has on the culture can be seen in many of the readings and histories of the authors we have studied so far. It relates to me because I grew up in an extremely Catholic environment and I know personally how the Catholic faith affects people within the LGBTQIA+ community. I do recommend going to visit the Basilique. Though it is beautiful, it is also an important part of history and culture in France, and that history and culture will always include LGBTQIA+ people.
I remember during Pride walking along the street and seeing L Bar. On that Saturday night, you could have thought that L Bar was the only queer bar in town! I’ve had the pleasure of going to L Bar twice (once during Pride and another time before) and I agree completely with you on your observations. The bar is wonderful, and it’s so heartbreaking that it goes overlooked because it caters to an underrepresented group within an already underrepresented and oppressed community. Additionally, I’ve just found that in general, spaces that cater toward those doubly underrepresented groups (like lesbians or trans people), are often so much more welcoming and comfortable. Gay bars for men (which unfortunately is nearly all of them) seem so explosive and manic. Spaces like the L Bar are much more considerate of their audience, cliental, and community. I can’t tell you how many gay bars I’ve been to where I’ve felt so uncomfortable and also unwelcome. While in bars like L Bar, I’m not only welcomed in, but invited in. Wanted in those spaces. I think this is an important nuance within the community that you’ve pointed how. That even within the community, there is not hegemony. The patriarchy persists and rears is ugly head at us, too. The men within the community need to better understand how they dominate conversations and ideas about the community, and realize the privilege they wield. Regardless, however, L Bar was the hotspot during Pride. It just goes to show you that lesbians are really the backbone of this communities, and unfortunately and unsurprisingly, get the least among of credit or support.
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