The Gay Lols: The Parisian LGBTQ Tourism Company Offerg a Different Si of France - Frenchly

Contents:

• 'GAY PAREE' TAK ON NEW MEANG
• LE MARAIS: "GAY PARIS" AND THE CONSTCTN OF AN LGBTQIA+ MEC
• THE GAY LOLS: THE PARISIAN LGBTQ TOURISM COMPANY OFFERG A DIFFERENT SI OF FRANCE
• WHY PARIS HAS THE BT GAY VILLAGE IN EUROPE
• GAY PARIS

'GAY PAREE' TAK ON NEW MEANG

The history of Paris’s LGBT scene Durg the Ancien Régime (om the late Middle Ag until 1789), homosexualy was a pal crime France, often rultg the ath penalty.

However, the French Revolutn crimalised homosexualy 1791, makg France one of the first untri to support the LGBT muny Europe. The relaxed laws allowed homosexual activi to ntue provid they rema private and discreet, which helped queer cultur to flourish across France the late 18th and 19th centuri.

LE MARAIS: "GAY PARIS" AND THE CONSTCTN OF AN LGBTQIA+ MEC

Gay nightlife and drag balls flourished durg the Jazz Age of the 1920s. The events of May 1968 helped spire the creatn of the Homosexual Revolutnary Actn Front (Le Front Homosexuel d’actn Révolutnnaire), which uned 4, 000 supporters by 1971.

THE GAY LOLS: THE PARISIAN LGBTQ TOURISM COMPANY OFFERG A DIFFERENT SI OF FRANCE

The succs of this group cis wh the fact that by the 1970s, all police fil on gay and lbian crim were stroyed, and certa laws agast LGBT nduct and people were repealed.

The Paris Gay Pri Para is an important event nowadays too, memoratg the historic trials of the LGBT muny across the globe while celebratg diversy, equaly and eedom. Paris tourism officials want to give new meang to the term "Gay Paree. "The French pal has always wooed visors wh s reputatn for fe dg and high fashn, and Paris ntually sh on s mystique as the land of love and, Cy Hall has a new strategy: sellg Paris as a leadg statn for gay travelers.

At the mayor's office and the tourism bure, which has fund a prs junket this week for journalists om Amerin gay publitns, officials ll the next ontier of tourism. "We want to create a gay iendly spir across the whole cy, " said Lrent Queige, one of the project's anizers at Cy Hall. "It's an entire marketg mpaign voted to gay tourism: promotns, brochur, media trips, Web s, tour packag.

WHY PARIS HAS THE BT GAY VILLAGE IN EUROPE

Officials Paris say they are enuraged by a trend toward greater tolerance but are still battlg nservatism and Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, when elected last year beme the cy's first openly gay mayor and proudly led this summer's Gay Pri para. Delanoe uldn't attend a meetg last month to gurate the gay-iendly tourism mpaign bee he was recuperatg om a stabbg attack by a man who said he disliked overall challenge for officials workg on the mpaign is to tweak the image of a cy famo for photographs like the 1950 Robert Doisne snapshot of a man and woman stealg a kiss cintally ont of Cy have only begun turng on the project, which is not to be publicly lnched until June 2003.

After nveng a meetg of experts on gay tourism last month at Cy Hall for an ial brastormg ssn, a marketg blz was born. Travel agents that ter to gay clients are planng package tours to ci wh summer ftivals like Gay Pri para, which last June drew a rerd half-ln people.

Ias also clu disunt tours geared to the nightclub scene and other Paris is payg special attentn to the Amerin gay muny. An outdated gui lled Gay Friendly France is beg revamped for circulatn at French tourism offic the Uned Stat as of June 2003.

GAY PARIS

The Maison la France Los Angel is workg wh Amerin tour operators and helped anize this week's fully paid trip to France for gay media on the theme of gay is hardly the first European pal to target the gay tourist.