SOCIETY: When homophobia appears in Côte-d’Or
The International Day against LGBT-phobias on May 17 is an opportunity to recall that France remains mobilized in the fight against the stigmatization of which lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are victims. Since 2005, May 17 marks the celebration of the international day against LGBT-phobias. Celebrated in more than 130 countries, it should also be remembered that nearly 70 countries still criminalize homosexual relations.
In France, according to figures from the Jean Jaurès Foundation, in 2019, nearly 53% of LGBT + (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexuals and other sexual orientations and gender identity) have already been confronted with at least one form of aggression. of a homophobic nature.
The year 2020, the year of LGBTIphobic acts
In its report published in 2021, (Read here) SOS Homophobia specifies that the year 2020 was strongly marked by the health crisis. Containment measures, curfews, the closure of places of conviviality have had a significant impact on LGBTI-phobia acts, leaving few escape routes for victims of violence. LGBTI people have even been accused of spreading the coronavirus or causing it.
A problem rooted in society
In 2020, SOS Homophobia again received, still according to the 2021 report, 1,815 testimonies of LBGTI-phobic violence, compared to 2,396 in 2019, despite a drastic drop in the movement of people and activities. This figure remains very high and shows that the problem is deeply rooted in our society. The number of cases of LGBTI-phobias in the neighborhood context is on the rise with 184 cases against 155 in 2019, a growth which is explained by the confinements.
The entourage and the family, the cradle of LGBTI-phobias?
Forced return to the family home, prolonged cohabitation, etc. The successive confinements and the isolation of the family on itself have sometimes generated an escalation of violence. SOS homophobia identifies during the year 2020, harassment, threats and even, in more than one in five reports, physical or sexual assault. These acts are mostly committed by parents.
The City of Dijon is mobilizing against discrimination
The City of Dijon has been mobilized for many years in this fight against discrimination. In 2019, it had also launched a poster campaign to raise awareness and assess the mentalities of citizens with the slogan: “They love each other… So what? “.
In 2021, as part of the World Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, the Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer came to Dijon to discuss with students from the LGBTQ+ club at the Lycée Charles de Gaulle. (Read our report HERE)
Other support, when the City of Dijon mobilizes, as on September 25, 2021, to host the Pride March. A festive meeting in the streets of the city which makes it possible to reaffirm the demands of associations fighting against homophobia in the broad sense of the term.
And yet
“For me, it is out of the question that we hold hands in the streets of Dijon” confides to us Pierre* 43 years old, in a relationship with Louis 34 years old, and to add “to live happily we live hidden”. An opinion that Clémence, originally from Dijon, does not share: “To act this way is to feel guilty. Where would I be at fault for loving a girl?
For Mourad, a handler in the Dijon metropolis, “there is no question of showing myself with my boyfriend on the beach in the summer in Dijon. I prefer to join spaces where gays are not singled out. “A few years ago there was a gay-friendly discotheque in Dijon in the station district,” explains Fred. And to add: “I often get called tarlouze and other names when I went out to join my car. But you know being called PD is commonplace. This kind of homophobic insults is however punishable by law (Read HERE on the website of the Ministry of the Interior).
Stigmatized places in Côte-d’Or
In Dijon, as in all large cities, there are outdoor meeting places. Discreet, known or not, they are sometimes the scene of acts of violence, homophobic acts. If the number of these acts is not known in Côte-d’Or, certain places are clearly stigmatized as in the sector of Norges-la-Ville. A tag has been drawn on a supposed place where the men meet (no pictures). A little cleaning would perhaps be welcome to ease some tensions.
To talk about it
No longer being silent, speaking out and denouncing homophobic acts is the leitmotif of associations such as Aides à Dijon, located at Place Émile-Zola and present on all social networks. For its part, SOS Homophobia offers an anonymous listening line 01 48 06 42 41 and a private chat’ecoute. (The website).
International Day in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
In Dijon, the Contact Côte-d’Or association, in partnership with Maison Maladière, is offering a screening-debate around a documentary by Pascal Petit: “My child is gay”. See you on Tuesday May 17 at 8:30 p.m. at the Maison Maladière, rue Balzac. Registration on 03 73 73 70 20. In addition, a militant march against homophobia and transphobia is scheduled for Saturday May 21 at 2 p.m. from Parc Micaud in Besançon.
Norbert Banchet
*All given names are assumed names.