paris pride got canceled in june because it was 40 degrees. it came back on saturday with a sign that said "less RN, more lesbians." worth the wait.

via AFP, through The Brussels Times and France 3

"Less RN, more lesbians."

That was one of the signs at the Paris Pride march on Saturday, Oct. 3, AFP reports, and if you want a one-line summary of where gay France is heading into a presidential election, you will not find a better one. RN is the Rassemblement National, Marine Le Pen's far-right party. The lesbians need no introduction.

why paris pride was in october

It was supposed to happen on June 27. Paris was close to 40°C, and the police prefecture asked organizers to call off large events, France 3 reported. The march was canceled at the last minute, several groups ran a fundraiser to cover the losses, and in August the organizers, Inter-LGBT, set a new date: the first Saturday of October.

So on Saturday tens of thousands of people, by AFP's count, marched from Place d'Italie to Place de la Bastille in flower garlands. France 3 put it at thousands. Last year's march drew 500,000 according to organizers and fewer than 100,000 according to police, AFP notes, which is the Paris tradition of two numbers that can never meet.

the far right was the theme

France votes for a president in 2027, and nobody at Bastille was pretending otherwise. Besides the RN line, AFP lists signs reading "These fascists are doing my head in," "Fuck RN" and "More love, less Zemmour," after Éric Zemmour, the far-right TV pundit turned candidate.

"Our anger must turn into victory because hateful and discriminatory rhetoric against trans people, same-sex couples and sex workers is increasing," Alexandre Schon, co-president of Inter-LGBT, told the crowd before it set off. To France 3 he put it as a chant: "Dans la lutte et maintenant dans la marche, aux urnes citoyens et citoyennes!" In the fight, now in the march, and then to the polls. Anaïs Perrin-Prevelle of the trans group OUTrans told AFP it was important to be visible "before a period that is going to be difficult for us," naming far-right movements in Germany, England, Spain and Portugal as well as France.

The front of the march looked like a left-wing party conference: Paris's Socialist mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, Green MP Sandrine Rousseau, MEP Manon Aubry and France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, according to AFP. Grégoire used the day to announce that the city will respond within 72 hours when LGBTQ venues are attacked, with a single point of contact for victims, France 3 reports.

Pride was born in June, out of a riot on a hot night in New York. Paris has now proved it works just as well in October, with a scarf on and an election to win.