Gay and lesbian

Paris is home to a thriving LGBT community, visibly involved in every walk of life – and right at the top of the tree sits openly gay mayor Bertrand Delanoë, who came out two years before running for office. Local gays and lesbians say that they encounter very little, if any, discrimination in their day-to-day lives, and feel integrated into mainstream society. However, the annual Gay Pride March, held on the last Sunday in June, is a powerful reminder of what the gay rights movement has accomplished over the last 30 years, and of what is yet to be achieved.

Information and resources

Magazines Têtu (www.tetu.com) and Préf (www.prefmag.com) report on goings-on in gay life and have text in English; Muse & Out (formerly La Dixième Muse) (www.muse-out.com) provides similar information for lesbians. There are also several free bi-weekly publications, distributed in gay bookshops, bars and clubs; the most useful are 2 X-Paris, Tribumove (www.tribumove.com) and AgendaQ. And for girls, there's Barbi(e)turix (www.myspace.com/barbieturix). Two excellent and informative websites provide regularly updated listings (in English) of all things gay and lesbian in the city: www.paris-gay.com and www.gayvox.com.