Paris in the spring, they say, is the place to be. Sod spring; even with occasional showers the end of June was much more fun!
For piccies look at http://www.france.qrd.org/events/97/album
I'm certain that I cannot do the parade justice. A lot of people moved from A to B, but apart from that it was different from London Pride in every respect. As Sean put it, it was more like a moving street party than a march.
Assemble, they said, at 11:30 in the Place de la Republique to move off at 12. Pah! time-keeping was not a conspicuous aspect of the day. It was more like 2:30 before anything moved, but that wasn't problem as there was lots to see. As well as the pl Republique itself the floats were lined up for a considerable distance up both the Boulevard St Martin and Bd de Magenta (I think) and there were stalls about for food and drink - sort of barbeques on wheels. Behind the assembled people were phalanxes of street cleaning machines, more of those later. Oh, and there was a goat to - never did work out why.
Somehow someone got the thing moving and then the real differences started to become apparent.
There's the police, or rather the lack of. Discounting half a dozen standing on the steps of a police station that we passed (presumably protecting their home turf) I noticed only 4, yes FOUR, all day - and two of those were pointed out to me because they were watching the procedings from the roof of the Opera de Bastille!
Stewards ditto - did see two chaps with 'organisation' across the back of their tee shirts and carying 2-way radios, but if they were stewarding the march they apparently didn't see the need to do very much except mosey along with everyone else. Certainly we, and many others, walked up and down the parade without hinderance looking at what there was to see. Oh and hardly a barrier in sight except at some corners that sensibly required something to direct the flow.
Lots of floats, lots of music, lots of very loud music - the 'Scorp' float (Scorp is a club aparently) was certainly the loudest thing that I have heard in the open air, and (remembering that I'm not a clubber) possibly indoors too.
Lots of drag, including a round dozen Carmen Miranda wanabees dancing all the way.
Lots and LOTS of pretty boys, not just dansing on the club floats.
And quite striking was the number of young people (AOC is 15 and has been for more than a decade wich might explain it). Also there were large numbers of folks come to look at what was going on - not in 'peering into a goldfish' way, but enjoying the atmosphere, often mingling so that it was often to say if a particular familly was 'on' the march or just caught up in it. At one point we were giggling at a somewhat dour couple of old folks standing on a trafic island just as if they'd been half way over the road when the march engulfed them and they'd not dared move since.
Happy people all over the place, smiles and more smiles. Not a single hint of even the possibility of the slightest trouble of any kind from anyone!
From the Republique we eventually went down the Bd Beamarchais to the Place de la Bastille. En route stopped at Gavin's for lunch - and when we came out again the march was still going past! Definately a convenient arrangement, though I think I might have an uphill battle persuading the Pride committee to send London Pride through Forest Gate however much the idea would appeal to the Met.
From the Bastille down the Av Daumesnil through the Pl Felix Eboue then the Porte Doree, the Pte du Reuilly and onto the Pelouse de Reuilly in the Bois de vincennes.
Speeches from various people, with synopses in English as a sop to the 'Euro' title of the event. I only remember a message from the Mayor of Rome, an MEP and the president of EuroPride who claimed 300,000 paraders. That might well be possible, as when we arrived at Pelouse de Reuilly at 7 or 7:30-ish there was an announcement that the tail of the march was still passing the Bastille. On the map the route measures abouth five kilometres (three and a bit miles for the metrically disadvantaged) but I don't believe that at all. What with all the going back and forth from front to back of the march it definately seemed four times that. Certainly going five kilometres in five hours seems a bit slow, even for that many people. Though the slow pace did allow those flaming food stalls time to nip through the back streets and set up again anywhere there was space for people to buy their wares.
Sean and I were both exhausted so eventually worked ourselves up into returning to the hotel. The Metro wasn't quite as bad as the Northern Line at Clapham Common :) the mid evening news on TF1 surprised me with a 15 minute segment on the parade along with interviews, vox pops and excerpts from the speeches. Their estimate was for 'over 200,000' people and claimed Europes bigest ever gay pride march; which contrasts greatly with London Pride's organisers announcing a quarter of a million abd the BBC parrotting the Met's 'official' figures of 60-70,000 as happened last year. I must say that there are a couple of things that London does better, like the free (for a 3 quid 'donation' festival and market) rather than a ticket open air party. But it would be a salutary lesson for all the Pride committee and the Metroplitan Police's liason oficers to be obliged to attend the Paris event in future.
Sunday morning Sean wanted to visit the Pere Lachaise cemetary so called on Maria Callas, Oscar Wilde, Gertude Stein, Yves Montand and Simone Signoret in the rain. Fortunately they were all in, but not really in the mood for conversation. Sean sure does know how to have a good time when abroad. :) With an hour to spare we visited, at my request, the monument to the French deported to the camps during WWII. A very spooky place at the lower tip of the Ille de la Cite. Then a wander round the Marais (Imagine Old Compton Street with style, and lots of it) and a long, leisurly lunch with Gavin and Vincent.
A wonderful weekend, and though hardly 'rested' I certainly feel much more boyant than I did last Friday. :) Tempted to start planing for next year already!
Matthew
-- "Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum" mailto:dhastur@geocities.com http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/6630/index.html
Subject: Re: Paris EuroPride
From: JohnM john@scroll.demon.co.uk
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 18:11:41 +0100
In article AFDD8CD29668111F38@ciseb92.demon.co.uk, Matthew Malthouse
dhastur@geocities.com writes
} But it would be a salutary lesson for all the Pride
} committee and the Metroplitan Police's liason oficers to be obliged to
} attend the Paris event in future.
I'm sure they should.
}
} Sunday morning Sean wanted to visit the Pere Lachaise cemetary so called on
} Maria Callas, Oscar Wilde, Gertude Stein, Yves Montand and Simone Signoret
} in the rain.
You mean you missed Jim Morrison and Edith Piaf ? (Been there twice, myself).
} Then a wander round the Marais (Imagine Old
} Compton Street with style, and lots of it) and a long, leisurly lunch with
} Gavin and Vincent.
Did Vincent change any lightbulbs when you were there ?
BTW, aren't the arrangements for entering their building deliciously complex ?
}
} A wonderful weekend, and though hardly 'rested' I certainly feel much more
} boyant than I did last Friday. :)
Oh good show. Liked my hotel ?
------------- Real Headlines of Our Time # 44 ------
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Subject: Re: Paris EuroPride
From: dhastur@geocities.com (Matthew Malthouse)
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 15:40:54 +0100
In article D1+jbJANj+tzEweZ@scroll.demon.co.uk, JohnM john@scroll.demon.co.uk wrote:
} In article AFDD8CD29668111F38@ciseb92.demon.co.uk, Matthew Malthouse
} dhastur@geocities.com writes
} >Sunday morning Sean wanted to visit the Pere Lachaise cemetary so
called on
} >Maria Callas, Oscar Wilde, Gertude Stein, Yves Montand and Simone
Signoret
} >in the rain.
}
} You mean you missed Jim Morrison and Edith Piaf ? (Been there twice,
} myself).
No, we paid a visit to chere Edith, but we did give Jim a miss.
}
} >Then a wander round the Marais (Imagine Old
} >Compton Street with style, and lots of it) and a long, leisurly lunch
with
} >Gavin and Vincent.
}
} Did Vincent change any lightbulbs when you were there ?
Is he prone to? SOme sort of handy-man fetish? :)
} Oh good show. Liked my hotel ?
Yes. Very convenient, no hassels, no questions. I was a trifle surprised that you of all people would favour somewhere quite so, um... basic, but at the price it is excelent value. Will probably use it again.
Matthew
-- "Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum" mailto:dhastur@geocities.com http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/6630/index.html
Subject: Re: Paris EuroPride
From: archdruid@here (Mark Y-M)
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 15:10:40 GMT
On Mon, 30 Jun 1997 18:11:41 +0100, JohnM john@scroll.demon.co.uk wrote thus:
} >Sunday morning Sean wanted to visit the Pere Lachaise cemetary so called on
} >Maria Callas, Oscar Wilde, Gertude Stein, Yves Montand and Simone Signoret
} >in the rain.
}
} You mean you missed Jim Morrison and Edith Piaf ? (Been there twice,
} myself).
Ditto here - a most stylish cemetery, Moliere is there too.
Mark mark@@archdruid.demon..co..uk http://www.libdems.org.uk/people/aos/delga/index.htm Opinions etc are mine and not Demon Internet's
Subject: Re: Paris EuroPride
From: wheeler@lpbc.jussieu.fr (Gavin Wheeler)
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 1997 12:48:44 +0100
In article AFDD8CD29668111F38@ciseb92.demon.co.uk>, dhastur@geocities.com
} Paris in the spring, they say, is the place to be. Sod spring; even with
} occasional showers the end of June was much more fun!
I must admit we were *very* lucky with the weather. A week-long bout of rain and drizzle quite literally ended the morning of the march, and the Sunday evening a *massive* thunderstorm blew up my modem and piled the water up inches deep in the gutters. For those whe weren't there the march itself was sunny, but with a nice cool breeze for most of the way. Very nice indeed!
[snip]
} time-keeping was not a conspicuous aspect of the day.
We *are* on the continent, luvvie. Not quite as laid back as the spaniards or the greeks, but I have yet to see a pride march that got started at the time stated. And this year nobody quite knew if the start was for 12h00 or 13h00 - so they compromised on 14h00 ;)
[snip]
} Oh, and there was a goat to -
} never did work out why.
'Chevre' in french has all sorts of connotations, from 'slut' to 'daft sod'. So it was a sort of visual pun.
[snip]
} There's the police, or rather the lack of. Discounting half a dozen
} standing on the steps of a police station that we passed (presumably
} protecting their home turf) I noticed only 4, yes FOUR, all day - and two
} of those were pointed out to me because they were watching the procedings
} from the roof of the Opera de Bastille!
Well, most of the 'police' there would not have been noticeable. The Pride March is reputeably one of the busier days for the 'Renseignements Generaux', the french secret police, although I'm sure half of the stories about them are pure fiction. Certainly they are there to spot the militants, not to control the festivities.
[snip]
} Sean and I were both exhausted so eventually worked ourselves up into
} returning to the hotel. The Metro wasn't quite as bad as the Northern Line
} at Clapham Common :)
You didn't see the crowd about an hour after you hoofed it. The ticket collectors had to come out and stop people crowding onto the platform, we could hear slightly panicked announcements over the intercom calling for more train drivers and ticket collectors on the line, and of course each and every train was packed full of queens singing 'Moi, je veux mourir sur scene' and other gay (french) classics. Of course, I haven't seen the crowd at Clapham Common, either, so you may well be right ;)
} the mid evening news on TF1 surprised me with a 15
} minute segment on the parade along with interviews, vox pops and excerpts
} from the speeches. Their estimate was for 'over 200,000' people and claimed
} Europes bigest ever gay pride march; which contrasts greatly with London
} Pride's organisers announcing a quarter of a million abd the BBC parrotting
} the Met's 'official' figures of 60-70,000 as happened last year.
We had a similair tug-of-war between the police and organiser's figures. The police started at about 150 000, the organisers at 300 000, and the press seem to have compromised on 250 000.
} I must
} say that there are a couple of things that London does better, like the
} free (for a 3 quid 'donation' festival and market) rather than a ticket
} open air party.
The 'Official' party was a flop (apparently), although the Marais was one big street party up until at least three o'clock when we decided that we weren't up to a nightclub and wandered back to the flat. The Queen was also apparently too full for dancing to be a possibility, so we didn't miss much. All in all it was a very nice Pride, and it was certainly very nice to see Sean and Matthew over here. I *was* very disappointed at the lack of a European element - the messages from the mayor of Rome and the MEP at the end were about it. But that was more or less what we expected from SOFIGED.
Anyway, I hope you all have as nice weather for the London Pride as we had in Paris. I'm at a wedding that weekend (my b/f's older brother) s I'm definitely not coming, but I'll be thinking of you.
-- Gavin Wheeler wheeler@lpbc.jussieu.fr
Subject: Re: Paris EuroPride
From: dhastur@geocities.com (Matthew Malthouse)
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 1997 13:55:15 +0100
In article wheeler-0207971248440001@lpbcmifluo2.lpbc.jussieu.fr, wheeler@lpbc.jussieu.fr (Gavin Wheeler) wrote:
} In article AFDD8CD29668111F38@ciseb92.demon.co.uk,
dhastur@geocities.com
} (Matthew Malthouse) wrote:
} > Oh, and there was a goat to -
} > never did work out why.
}
} 'Chevre' in french has all sorts of connotations, from 'slut' to
'daft
} sod'. So it was a sort of visual pun.
Must remember that. :)
}
} [snip]
} > There's the police, or rather the lack of. Discounting half a dozen
} > standing on the steps of a police station that we passed (presumably
} > protecting their home turf) I noticed only 4, yes FOUR, all day - and
two
} > of those were pointed out to me because they were watching the
procedings
} > from the roof of the Opera de Bastille!
}
} Well, most of the 'police' there would not have been noticeable. The
} Pride March is reputeably one of the busier days for the 'Renseignements
} Generaux', the french secret police, although I'm sure half of the
stories
} about them are pure fiction. Certainly they are there to spot the
} militants, not to control the festivities.
I sort of guessed that there would be some official presence, the gob-smakking part was that it was effectively invisible: very different form the Bobby-every-two-yards we're used to.
} Anyway, I hope you all have as nice weather for the London Pride as
we
} had in Paris. I'm at a wedding that weekend (my b/f's older brother) s
I'm
} definitely not coming, but I'll be thinking of you.
There's always next year. :)
Matthew
-- "Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum" mailto:dhastur@geocities.com http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/6630/index.html
Subject: Re: Paris EuroPride
From: JohnM john@scroll.demon.co.uk
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 01:06:41 +0100
In article AFDED5869668A409C@ciseb92.demon.co.uk, Matthew Malthouse
dhastur@geocities.com writes
} Yes. Very convenient, no hassels, no questions. I was a trifle surprised
} that you of all people would favour somewhere quite so, um... basic, but at
} the price it is excelent value. Will probably use it again.
Sweetie, you should see some of the hotels I've stayed in
South America. In Manaus there was a complete cockroach
nest underneath my bed. In Mexico, I stayed in what turned out to be
a brothel (not offering or accepting services myself).
I don't like spending money in hotels coz I don't spend time
there.
BTW I'll be back to South America end of the year for two months. Giving up my job again lured by that most shaggable of continents and its products ... sniff sniff Bolivia here I come.
------------- Real Headlines of Our Time # 44 ------
"New Study Of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group"
Web site http://www.scroll.demon.co.uk/spaver.htm
Subject: Re: Paris EuroPride
From: Nik Rawlinson
Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 17:33:28 +0100
Matthew Malthouse dhastur@geocities.com recently wrote...
} the BBC parrotting
} the Met's 'official' figures of 60-70,000 as happened last year.
Looks like they may have looked elsewhere for their info this year. Radio 1 has just done a little promo thingie for this year's Pride and they are quoting an expected turnout of 300,000.
Nik
(V jrag gb n trareny fgber ohg gurl jbhyqa'g yrg zr ohl nalguvat
fcrpvsvp.)
--
Nik Rawlinson * nik@nikraw.demon.co.uk (\__/) .~'~'~.
Avx Enjyvafba * www.nikraw.demon.co.uk /0 0 ./ .'
-------------------------------------- {0__, \ {
Some friends of mine got me a sweater / , , ) \
for my birthday. I'd have prefered a |-' '-' \ }
moaner or a screamer but a sweater .( _( )_.'
was OK. '---(_ _ _)