Paris Pride Celebrates Trans Rights

Marche des Fiertés, Paris’ annual LGBT Pride parade took place last Saturday. With street performers, protesters and partiers, Paris’ pride looked a lot like celebrations across the globe. Except one thing was different this year. According to Washington Blade,

For the first time ever, Inter-LGBT, the group that organized the annual event, allotted the most prominent spot in the parade, which is usually reserved for politicians and celebrities, to emphasize trans rights.
The Gay and Trans Collective Association for Equality, an LGBT group known by the French acronym ACTHE, marched front and center. It brought attention to the issues facing the transgender community with this year’s motto: “The rights of trans people are in a state of emergency: Stop forced sterilizations! Stop violence! Stop insecurity!”
French Culture Minister Audrey Azoulay and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo were among the prominent politicians who took part.
“Our city will always be a bulwark against homophobia because openness and tolerance are part of its DNA,” Hidalgo told Têtu, a French gay magazine.

Despite recent terrorist attacks in Paris, the city of lights wanted to celebrate pride. A shorter parade route and beefed up police protection were a few of the precautionary measures Paris took to make sure the parade was safe.

“This year’s Pride parade was under heavy protection, and all of us were determined for it to take place, despite the risks we had been warned about,” Flora Bolter, co-chair of the LGBT Center of Paris-Île-de-France, told the Washington Blade. “The atmosphere in the days leading up to the parade was quite electric, and for the first time we had to have security checks for all people entering the area. You could feel the tense determination everywhere.”

Bolter told the Blade that this year’s parade reinforced the necessity of equal protection under the law for LGBT people.

“This was a very political parade, with clear and urgent calls for action, and it was nonetheless a great success, in spite of many difficulties, and perhaps even thanks to them,” she said, “The very real possibility that our parade could be canceled made people realize how important it was to take part, be proud of who we are and face those who would silence us.”