This return to school was marked by a good atmosphere, but also by debate. The stigmatization of transgender people, prostitution, racism, so many topics that were discussed. The discussion was led by the center’s president, Erwann LE HÔ, and Emma B, the organizer of the Black Lives Matter rally in Nice.
During the evening, the center offered those who wished to get tested for HIV. It is also a place for exchange and sharing. Nothing better than a refreshment bar to gather with chairs made available. But the heart of the evening was in this debate (available in full here).
The first outdoor exchange of the center
It was a way to tell your story, to enlighten people unfamiliar with this cause. But the leitmotif of this gathering is the convergence of struggles. That’s what the president of the Côte d’Azur LGBT center, Erwann LE HÔ, hopes for. “We are here to say that between people who want to fight against racism, violence against women, against LGBT people, we have things to do together and ways to advocate together. We can stop trying to work in silos each on our own and recognize that we have projects and claims to put forward together. We all carry the ideal of a life in society, of equality of respect and inclusion of all differences. This event serves precisely to be able to say it and show that we will continue to work in this way.”
Another way to advocate for their claims
The center is working with the city to best help those in need. Erwann emphasizes: “We are clearly in a city where political leaders advocate an inclusive discourse that is going in the right direction. As a community actor, we have ways to work even if the situation is not always perfect.” Among them are Maty Diouf and Hervé Caël, respectively Deputy Delegate for Combating Discrimination and Sub-delegate Advisor at the Health House, former Socialist municipal councilor Patrick Allemand, and the president of the ‘Tous Citoyens’ collective, David Nakache…
A way to learn about LGBT history
For this return, the Vigna LGBT and Feminism bookstore exceptionally moved to raise awareness of what feminist and LGBT struggles have been throughout history. “This bookstore is a fund recognized by the municipal library of Nice. It is a fund dedicated to feminist and LGBT cultures. It exists to allow people to educate themselves on LGBT culture, the evolution of women’s rights, and how art has apprehended these rights and the evolution of literature. It is open to everyone,” Erwann Le Hô emphasizes.
To illustrate what the struggle of homosexuals was like to gain more rights, the anarchist collective “Punk & Paillettes” held a small exhibition. This exhibition recounts in photos the Stonewall riots. They lasted six days from June 28 to July 3, 1969. “It was a mafia-run bar, and it’s important to note that. It means we have such monstrous capitalism that it doesn’t consider minorities and even profits financially from them. For example, prices on alcohol at Stonewall were three times higher than elsewhere,” notes Stéphane Le Dû, a French professor and member of the association.
