The Parisian pride march, with the fight against transphobia as its slogan this year, saw attendance on Saturday described as “exceptional” by Inter-LGBT, with 110,000 people present according to the organization.
A young crowd gathered at midday at the Porte de la Villette, a working-class district in the north of Paris, chanting slogans such as “let’s vote for our rights”, “put some glitter in your life”, “the fight is my pride”, “against transphobia: transsolidarity” in a festive atmosphere.
This last slogan was also written on the banner at the head of the procession, while the organizers of this 2024 edition intended to denounce a transphobic offensive.
“Until now we suffered from ignorance, now it’s direct hatred,” judged Anaïs Perrin-Prevelle, director of OUTrans. “In 2024, we experienced an unprecedented anti-trans campaign”, citing in particular the publication of the book “Transmania”, added the activist.
Altercation with an ultra-right group
Organized on the eve of the first round of the early legislative elections for which the far-right party RN is the favorite, the pride march is also an opportunity for slogans or political speeches aimed at all personalities or parties accused of being opposed to LGBTQ+ rights.
“Pride is a party, but before the party there is a riot, anger, in a very serious social and political context,” said Mimi, co-president of the association supporting trans people Acceptess- T.
Lily and Noah, two sisters aged 16 and 20 who came from Normandy for the march, prefer to remain anonymous because their mother is worried: “In our small town, being out as a lesbian is difficult, here we feel surrounded and safe. This is our first march, we want to claim our rights which are under threat.”
Colorful floats decorated with unicorn and heart-shaped balloons, a percussion concert or a London-style bus from the Act-up association, the procession reached the Place de la République at the end of the afternoon. The demonstrators also observed three minutes of silence for those who died of AIDS.
The only exception to the celebrations: at the beginning of the demonstration, according to a police source, an altercation broke out between members of the march’s security service and far-right activists, without causing any injuries. According to a source close to the case, Mila, who has made controversial videos about Islam, accompanied this far-right group.
