Pride, Finally

I thought the last posting on gay marriage would be my last, but now with the Gay Pride parade marching right by my island and coming on the heels (often very high heels) of the U.S. Supreme Court rulings, I simply cannot resist.

 

 

This year, the marchers are proud to fly the French flag freely alongside the rainbow flag. And I must say that I'm pretty proud of the Supreme Court (well, 56% of it anyway!) and am not surprised to see more pro-American sentiment than might have otherwise been expected.

 

Some of my favorite signs of the times:

 

 

"Liberty, Equality, Secularism" and a float promoting condom usage that says "Liberty, Equality, Protected" and sounds better in French.

  

 

 

"Fascism, even for sexual orientation, is not French." And Renault's commercial attempt to jump-on-the-band(station)wagon, with the slogan "Cars for all" mirroring the gay rights slogan "Marriage for all."

 

 

 

Some winners from what I call the religious correct (as opposed to the religious right): "God loves us all (men and women)", "We read the bible gaily", and "Jesus also had two mothers." But my very favorite sign of the parade:

"God is a black lesbian." And why not?

I'm not only proud to be American, and proud to be a gay marriage and gay rights supporter, I have to say this float walking by, complete with rainbow chuppah being carried by yarmulke-wearers, makes me proud of my liberal Jewish heritage, too.

 

And, not to be outdone, my husband's Christian upbringing is represented. Here, the American Cathedral's float makes me proud of their Americanism and their very christian (distinct from Christian) openness.

 

 

I don't know if my support of gay marriage stems from my liberal upbringing, my moral values which not only tolerate but celebrate diversity, or the fact that I have good gay and lesbian friends. But sometimes I suspect it's just my love of colors, choreography, theatrics, and flamboyance in general.

 

One thing that's very nice about Paris Pride as opposed to San Francisco Pride is that you can actually get up to the edge of the parade and wander about fairly freely. It is crowded and lively, and I don't have the official numbers, but it feels like the crowd must be 1/10 the size here. However, that doesn't mean Paris doesn't have some of the same characters, even down to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, here indulging in a very French cigarette and sneer.

 

  

 Let's not forget the drag queens...

   

...and in one case, the drag Queen of England....

 

...or the men in uniform. Any uniform. I am thoroughly entertained by the UNIFS's slogan: "Guys in uniforms, and those that love them."  

 

 

Not to be confused with these guys, who are honestly guys in uniforms -- the guards patrolling the parade to keep everything safe. At least I think they're the real deal. But they are pretty darn hot. 

 

 

What kind of a place is this to bring children? A mighty fine one, mostly. Very colorful and friendly.

 

 

Of course, Gigi is a little confused by the guy in zippered leather bikini briefs (perhaps he thinks he's in San Francisco at the Folsom Street Fair, which makes a Pride parade look positively tame). She is also confused when the guy giving out free condoms very pointedly passed her by; it may be the first time in her life that being a cute kid has NOT earned her free swag. It gives me the fun opportunity to explain what a condom is and does. The fact is, there are lots of men here in not much more than underwear -- and skimpy French underwear at that. Of course, some of it is rather skimpier -- and more Folsom Fair -- than others.

 

  

She's not the only kid here, though. In some ways, it's business as usual. With a lot of rainbows. People drink their canned beverages, hang out with their loved ones, and chat on cell phones -- at least when the electronic club music is not blaring so loud it makes your heart thump. Isn't that nice, though? That gay pride, and gay marriage, should have attained this degree of normalcy? Someday it will be downright boring. But the parade itself won't be.

 

   

 

 

 

Love and Smoke for All!

Gay marriage has passed its last hurdle in France! Yesterday, the Assembly voted in favor of legalizing by a margin of 331-225, after a disruption by a protestor in pink (which is, to the great confusion of all Americans, the color worn by the anti-gay marriage side). It may have taken them a while to give women the vote, but they're in the vanguard on this issue: France is the 14th country to legalize gay marriage and well ahead of the US, with the first same-sex marriages expected in June. There goes my "twenty years behind" theory.

We bring Gigi and Pippa to the party, which takes place, not coincidentally, in the square in front of the 4th arrondissment's administrative building. I say it's not a coincidence because the 4th arrondissment, or Marais, is widely known as the "gay district," like the Castro in San Francisco.

 

It appears the Parisian young, gay community represented in the square also wants the right to die of lung cancer. Besides being littered with champagne and wine bottles (all drunk openly in front of the police, who clearly don't care about container laws), the square is also chock full of smoke. I'm amazed I can take photos through the haze.

 

Here are some signs of the times, with translations:



Ligue des droits de l'Homme = League of the Rights of Man (in the Mankind sense)

Osez le Féminisme = Dare to be Feminist

Procréation Médicalement Assistée: L'Egalite N'Attend Pas = Medically Assisted Procreation: Equality Won't Wait

And my personal favorite:

Je veux le droit d'epouser Jodie Foster ou David Bowie. = I want the right to marry Jodie Foster or David Bowie.

 

Even through the cloud of smoke, the clanking underfoot of bottles, and the crunching underfoot of plastic cups, the party is a really wonderful thing to see -- joyous and boisterous. However, I have to say that when it happens in the US, I am sure the Castro will be a whole lot crazier than this, and there will be a whole lot more costuming (wedding dresses and tuxes), kissing (very little PDA here), and controversy. Perhaps it's because it was a foregone conclusion, or perhaps it's because they're cool and French, as evidenced by the number of striped boat shirts.

There are, as you would expect, plenty of news organizations out with the revelers.



And, this morning, I read in the news that there were some protests last night as well, which involved anti-gay marriage advocates throwing things at police officers, who then retaliated by throwing gas canisters in the crowd. It looks like there were a few isolated protests in Paris and Lyon, or at least only those were significant enough to report. I do see one article about how the passage of the law is making some gay people suddenly have to come to terms with the fact that they will soon have a Mother-in-Law. Hard-hitting journalism at its finest.

Today, I don't see one sign, one rainbow flag, or any indication of the historic vote. I do see people out in throngs, happy, and celebrating...the gorgeous weather we are suddenly having. I can't wait to see the effect (if any) on the streets of Paris when the first marriages actually take place.
 

Shocking. Or Not.

Last year, during the annual Carnaval (spelled the French way) parade at the girls' school, I was surprised that the children do not all dress up as Disney princesses or Star Wars characters. Of course, some still do, but not nearly the all-encompassing percentage we see in the US. This year, I am not at all surprised to see the requisite flamenco dancers, which seem to be a given in any French costume party.

  

 

It's basically Halloween without the Trick-or-Treating, but that doesn't mean it's sugar-free. In typical French fashion, when the snacks are put out at the party, the tables are laden with chocolatey carbohydrates and nothing else. There is no pretense at putting out fresh fruit and hoping the kids will take some. Either have a chocolate crêpe, a puff pastry with chocolate flakes, or a nutella covered waffle, or get outta here. This does not actually horrify me anymore, as long as the adults are allowed to nosh on a piece or two.

 

 

Last year, the kids marched through the 5th arrondissement to the ancient Roman Arènes de Lutèce. This year's route takes us up to to the top of the 5th and into the 4th arrondissement, walking by delicious bakeries, great views along the Seine, the love locks bridge, and several 800ish-year old churches, including Notre Dame.

 

 

Given that I see this church every single day, the most surprising thing is that I still find it surprising. Walking through the gardens by the side of the cathedral, Pippa's teacher tells me that she comes up from the train station and sees this view when she comes into work and that even she, a Parisian, is thrilled and energized every time. This makes me feel less crazy for still being awestruck.

 

 

The costume that most surprises me, and that both Pippa and I declare the prize-winner, is her best friend's. The girl's mother, my dear friend Beatrice, has spent time living and working in Africa, so it's authentic. Our favorite part is the back, where she's got her baby strapped. As you can see, my own daughter has found yet another occasion to wear her Indian sari which is also authentic.

 

 

 

Gigi enjoys the older brother's costume, since he's a really sweet kid dressed up as a "bad boy" rocker. Of course, she has no idea how appealing this will be to her in about six years.... And something I consider very French and quite appropriate, indeed, one of the class clowns dressed up as Charlie Chaplain, who is possibly more famous and beloved in France than in the States.

 

Then, on the more truly shocking side: There's this 5th grader smoking his cigarette. It is a fake one, of course, but very realistic, with a glowing tip. I start talking with some other parents as I take the picture, and it turns out that even the other French parents are shocked by this as completely inappropriate. Well, not all the parents: Obviously his own parents must have found it okey dokey.

 

 

Inappropriate, yes. But how hysterically French is that?!

 

There's shocking, and there's more shocking: The kids are packing pistols.

 

And they bring out the bigger guns, some of which just don't make any sense. This Crusader, who is one of Gigi's best friends, has a super soaker so powerful, it shoots water across about ten centuries of history.

 

 

Of course I remember seeing toy guns with costumes as a child myself, but given that I've been hearing that in the US kids are getting suspended just for making gun shapes with their fingers and saying "bang", it seems a little surprising to me. When I bring it up to my fellow parents, they point out that in France the kids are allowed their fake guns, but people aren't allowed real guns. They're shocked by our approach in the US, where the real guns are legal, used against children, and therefore make the little toy guns seem menacing. When they put it this way, I'm far more shocked by the US attitude towards guns, too. So bring on the toy guns!

  

P.S. I'm biased, but I think these photos are gorgeous. And I love that Dark Vador is Pippa's shadow: