https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told a magazine to be published on Wednesday that he is gay and plans to visit a so-called LGBT-free zone in Poland to support local activists. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201209/frances-europe-minister-im-gay-and-i-plan-to-visit-lgbt-free-zones-in-poland Wed, 09 Dec 2020 09:18:49 +0100 frances-europe-minister-im-gay-and-i-plan-to-visit-lgbt-free-zones-in-poland The French capital has many nicknames, one of them being “gay Paris”. To be fair, this was in reference to the word’s original meaning of “cheerful” rather than homosexuality, but to celebrate Lesbian Visibility Day we’re taking a look at just how gay-friendly “gay Paris” really is. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190426/how-gay-friendly-is-gay-paris Fri, 26 Apr 2019 12:02:26 +0200 how-gay-friendly-is-gay-paris A plan to attack gay nightclubs in Paris was among a dozen terror plots thwarted in France since the start of the year, according to Interior Minister Gerard Collomb. https://www.thelocal.fr/20170913/terror-attack-on-paris-gay-nightclubs-thwarted-minister Wed, 13 Sep 2017 13:01:49 +0200 terror-attack-on-paris-gay-nightclubs-thwarted-minister A French TV show at the centre of a breast-kissing controversy earlier this year routinely disparages gays under the guise of humour, a gay rights group claims. https://www.thelocal.fr/20161215/breast-kissing-scandal-show-faces-homophobia-claims Thu, 15 Dec 2016 13:14:09 +0100 breast-kissing-scandal-show-faces-homophobia-claims France's health minister is taking several French mayors to court after they ordered HIV awareness posters to be taken down in their towns, apparently because they featured two men embracing. https://www.thelocal.fr/20161123/french-mayors-take-down-posters-of-men-kissing Wed, 23 Nov 2016 13:28:11 +0100 french-mayors-take-down-posters-of-men-kissing French media mocked President Francois Hollande on Tuesday after he described sexual orientation as "a choice", in his reaction to the Orlando gay nightclub massacre, comments that had provoked outrage on social media. The president then corrected his gaffe. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160614/french-president-criticized-for-calling-homosexuality-a-choice Tue, 14 Jun 2016 17:44:58 +0200 french-president-criticized-for-calling-homosexuality-a-choice The head of Air France’s LGBT union tells The Local gay stewards should fly to Iran, just as they should "do their job" and work on flights to 20 other destinations where gay rights are not recognized. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160413/why-gay-air-france-stewards-shouldnt-avoid-flights-to-iran Wed, 13 Apr 2016 14:21:28 +0200 why-gay-air-france-stewards-shouldnt-avoid-flights-to-iran First the Air France hostesses didn't want to wear veils when getting off the plane in Iran, now gay stewards don't want to go to a country where homosexuals could face the death penalty. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160412/air-frances-gay-stewards-refuse-to-fly-to-iran Tue, 12 Apr 2016 14:56:48 +0200 air-frances-gay-stewards-refuse-to-fly-to-iran A French court is trying a woman on charges of defrauding two gay couples who hired her as a surrogate mother, which is illegal in France. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160127/french-surrogate-mum-on-trial-for-defrauding-gay-couples Wed, 27 Jan 2016 16:40:16 +0100 french-surrogate-mum-on-trial-for-defrauding-gay-couples France will lift a ban on gay men donating blood, introduced in the 1980s to prevent Aids spread but heavily criticized by rights groups, the health minister said on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20151104/france-to-lift-ban-on-gay-men-giving-blood Wed, 04 Nov 2015 11:55:54 +0100 france-to-lift-ban-on-gay-men-giving-blood After two decades as the best-selling publication for homosexuals in France, the debt-ridden magazine Tetu was liquidated on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150723/frances-top-gay-magazine-closes-down Thu, 23 Jul 2015 19:20:20 +0200 frances-top-gay-magazine-closes-down France's Protestant Church on Sunday gave the green light to its around 500 vicars to bless same-sex couples if they wish to have their union recognised in a temple. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150517/french-protestant-church-blesses-gay-marriage Sun, 17 May 2015 16:03:59 +0200 french-protestant-church-blesses-gay-marriage France scores well on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights in a new review, but a spokesman for campaign group ILGA-Europe slammed a "degrading" sterilization requirement for gender reassignment. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150512/france-ok-for-gays-but-sex-change-rules-appalling Tue, 12 May 2015 18:48:36 +0200 france-ok-for-gays-but-sex-change-rules-appalling UPDATED: France said on Wednesday it was sticking by its choice to send a gay diplomat to the Vatican despite three months of silence from the Holy See over the appointment. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150415/france-stands-by-choice-of-gay-vatican-envoy Wed, 15 Apr 2015 15:48:47 +0200 france-stands-by-choice-of-gay-vatican-envoy A recent survey shows gay support for the National Front is rising. Some gays say the far-right party is more open to minorities than France’s mainstream parties, despite a history of homophobia. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150328/gay-support-for-national-front-on-the-rise Sat, 28 Mar 2015 12:03:09 +0100 gay-support-for-national-front-on-the-rise A hardline French Catholic group has bought the gay bar next to its local church, hoping to turn it into a religious meeting place. But the head of the city's gay community tells The Local that the church will need "a whole bunch of exorcists" to turn it around. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150126/french-missionaries-snatch-up-gay-bar-in-auction Mon, 26 Jan 2015 18:15:00 +0100 french-missionaries-snatch-up-gay-bar-in-auction Florian Philippot, one of the top members of France’s far-right party the National Front, is suing gossip magazine Closer for outing him as gay, demanding €50,000 in damages for the front-page splash of him and his alleged partner. https://www.thelocal.fr/20141218/top-far-right-boss-sues-mag-that-outed-him-as-gay Thu, 18 Dec 2014 18:56:00 +0100 top-far-right-boss-sues-mag-that-outed-him-as-gay France's top civil court on Monday ruled authorities must allow adoptions to occur for same sex parents, regardless of how the child was conceived. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140923/gay-adoption-of-gets-backing-of-french-court Tue, 23 Sep 2014 16:15:00 +0200 gay-adoption-of-gets-backing-of-french-court A French mayor known for his hardcore opposition to the country’s highly controversial decision last year to allow gay marriage, has found a same-sex union he can allow. He recently performed the wedding of his own son, who is gay. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140725/french-anti-gay-mayor-performs-gay-sons-wedding Fri, 25 Jul 2014 14:44:00 +0200 french-anti-gay-mayor-performs-gay-sons-wedding France’s lifetime ban on gay men donating blood is facing a serious legal challenge after an influential judge in Europe’s top court found the prohibition amounts to discrimination. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140717/france-gay-blood-donation-ruling-discrimination Thu, 17 Jul 2014 19:59:00 +0200 france-gay-blood-donation-ruling-discrimination