Civil society continued to call for an end to harassment and violence against migrants and refugees, and a halt to the Darmanin law, that would risk the lives of LGBTIQA+ asylum seekers. Several protests were held against the law.

Anti-trans speech remained an issue this year. The Association of LGBTI Journalists study found that 50% of articles about trans people included transphobic content.

Two trans-exclusionary lesbian groups were excluded from Pride in Rennes and Marseille this summer. A trans-exclusionary ‘feminist’ was sued for hate speech and incitement after calling trans people sick and misgendering a trans politician on TV.

Neo-nazi leaflets which included anti-LGBT statements were found in over 15 town halls in the Finistère region.

‘LGBT-free zone’ stickers were reported in Montpellier.

A far-right extremist was put on trial for anti-LGBT speech targeting a drag story time event in Bretagne. Football player Patrice Evra was fined 1,000 euro for homophobic insults he made in 2019. A man was tried for homophobic and sexist harassment of queer singer Hoshi.

In September, former far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour was fined 4,000 EURO for homophobic defamation following his anti-LGBTI and anti-feminist statements in 2018.

In October, a court ruled that Civitas, an anti-LGBT group, must be dissolved.

(See also under Education)

Hate crimes continued to be a serious issue this year. The Ministry of Interior shared that the number of anti-LGBTI hate crimes rose by 3% between 2021-2022. SOS Homophobie’s annual hate crime report found a 27% increase in the number of anti-LGBTI hate crimes in 2022, compared to 2021. Anti-trans incidents also saw a 27% rise compared to 2021. Le Refuge reported a 10% increase in requests from young LGBT people for support and emergency housing, compared to the previous year.

Several public spaces were attacked and vandalised this year, including LGBTIQ+ centres in Angers, Le Havre, Touraine, Arras, Nantes, and Reunion, and an LGBT+ association in Perpignan; among others (see here, here, here). The centre in Touraine was attacked six times in eight months. A community health centre and two employees of the association Grisélidis, which supports sex workers, were attacked in Toulouse. In most cases, local politicians condemned the incidents, the police acted quickly and the perpetrators were held accountable.

In May, more than 50 civil society organisations called on the government to tackle the wave of hate crimes. In July, the government said they would invest into awareness raising and victim support and launched the new LGBT+ Action Plan (see under Equality and Non-discrimination).

In April, genderqueer singer Bilal Hassani’s performance in a deconsecrated church had to be cancelled due to multiple bomb and murder threats from far-right extremists; Hassani filed a complaint.

In May, a black gay man was physically assaulted in Hérault. Several other hate crimes were reported this year (here, here, here, here, here, and here).

A street in Nantes, decorated for Pride, was vandalised with slogans such as “death to LGBT” and “paedophiles”. Rainbow pedestrian crossings were vandalised in Tours.

A report identified over 300 victims of fake dates over the past five years, mostly gay and bisexual men. Five men were arrested in what is suspected to be a homophobic murder in Vaucluse – the men allegedly lured others on fake dates. In March, two men were convicted of kidnapping and extortion in another case.

Two perpetrators of the murder of Vanesa Campos, a trans- migrant sex worker, in 2018 were sentenced to 14 and 17 years in prison by the appeal court in March – a reduced sentence compared to the 2022 verdict. Several perpetrators of anti- LGBTI hate crimes were convicted this year (see here, here, here, here, here, and here).

An Ipsos survey found that 10% of people and 19% of those belonging to Gen Z identify as LGBT+.

Lucas, a 13-year-old boy, who had been targeted by homophobic bullying, committed suicide in January. Four students were convicted of school harassment in the case. The family appealed the decision as it failed to condemn the minors for harassment leading to suicide. Media reports suggest the official investigation was inadequately conducted.

Later in January, former Minister of Education Pap Ndiaye announced he would put in place an awareness-raising plan to fight discrimination and bullying against LGBTI students. On 17 May, the Ministry launched an awareness campaign in middle and high schools to combat anti-LGBT school bullying.

Teachers reported a Catholic school and its principal for homophobia and censoring films on abortion and queerness. The Prosecutor launched an investigation.

In May, Bretagne announced setting up an observatory for the prevention and fight against LGBT + discrimination in education.

In September, incoming Minister Gabriel Attal declared that preventing bullying at schools is his “absolute priority”. In the same month, a high school student was arrested after bullying and threatening to kill a 14-year-old trans student.

In August, the European Court of Human Rights agreed about the admissibility of a case brought by a coalition of 261 sex workers and allies concerning discrimination and violence they have faced since France introduced a law criminalising the purchase of sex and pimping in 2016.

The new National LGBT+ Action Plan (2023-2026) was published in July, consisting of over 100 measures. Activist organisations expressed disappointment with the level of implementation of the previous action plan and the lack of cooperation with civil society in crafting the new plan. The National Consultative Commission on Human Rights strongly criticised the implementation of the previous plan.

Civil society organisations expressed serious concern about the appointment in July of two ministers, Aurore Bergé and Bérangère Couillard, who have had problematic stances on LGBTI- and specifically trans inclusion before.

In March, the municipality of Paris launched an online training platform for civil servants on working with trans clients during administrative procedures.

In November, the Senate passed a draft bill acknowledging the state’s role in wrongly convicting thousands for sexual orientation but rejected the idea of financial compensation.

This year marked the 10th anniversary of marriage equality in France. The Minister of Interior, Gérald Darmanin said in an interview he was wrong to vote against marriage equality back in 2013.

A trans couple shared their experiences of not being recognised on their child’s birth certificate in their legal gender and stated they are willing to start a legal battle for recognition.

France joined the European Comission’s infringement proceedings against Hungary over its anti-LGBT legislation.

The French envoy for LGBT+ rights cancelled his visit to Cameroon after he was declared persona non grata.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a 2 million EURO fund for French embassies to support LGBT+ human rights defenders.

In June, Lyon Pride was disturbed twice: one man punched several participants and a group threw bottles at the marchers. A screening of Tomboy in Saint-Amand-Montrond received backlash from far-right organisers, but was held and supported by many as a response.

In June, the town of Bastia in Corsica held its first Pride march. Guadeloupe held its second Pride event in July.

The city of Montpellier hosted a conference on chemsex in November.

The police evicted and arrested the inhabitants of an LGBT squat in Montreuil in August.

A working group will be set up to discuss the increase in legal gender recognition (LGR) requests made by minors. The group is led by MP Jacqueline Eustache-Brinio of the Republican party, who had previously tried to block minors’ access to trans-specific healthcare, such as hormone blockers.

The Minister of Labour, Olivier Dussopt came out as gay in March, seen by many as a political move amidst the pension protests (see under Social Security and Social Protection). The Minister of Youth, Sarah El Haïry, came out as lesbian in April. Mayor of Estevelles, Estelle Szabo, became the first mayor to transition during her mandate. Marseille councillor Nathanaël Bignon also spoke about being a trans man.

Le Bonjour Madame, a queer and feminist bar in eastern Paris, was forced to close in May after a police raid and checks, which the owners interpreted as clear intimidation.

In May, The French Football League launched its annual campaign to tackle homophobia. Several players refused to wear jerseys featuring rainbow symbols or play at all – they were reprimanded by their teams, fined, and/or benched, and their refusal was condemned by the Sports Ministry. The government supports the sanctions. Despite the efforts, an increase in homophobic verbal attacks was witnessed during sports games. In October, the Ministry of Sport, FFF and LFP sent a letter to professional clubs outlining actions to tackle homophobia. In November, Rouge Direct, a collective fighting homophobia in football, closed down, citing institutional inaction and death threats.

In May, the LGBT Families association filed a complaint against Amazon Prime Video for broadcasting homophobic chants and banners at football games.

Nicolas Pottier, former referee, spoke about homophobia, rape, and harassment he was subjected to and filed a complaint.

Paris 2024, the organising committee of the 2024 Olympic Games, launched a partnership with Pride House. Nevertheless, female trans athletes will be unable to compete in the women’s category – the Sports Minister shared in April that the Olympics will follow the rules of international sports federations. Halba Diouf, French sprinter spoke out against the World Athletics’s discriminatory ban against trans women in March. At national level, the Minister of Sport announced in May that an expert group will be set up to make recommendations on the inclusion of trans athletes in sport. No national civil society organisations have been included in the process so far.

A report showed that most LGBT people have either witnessed (73%) or suffered (52%) a homophobic or transphobic attack in sports.

The Ministry of Interior sent guidance to all police stations about how to work with trans people. The Ministry also promised to train officers of anti-LGBT hate and violence. SOS Homophobie documented almost 30 cases where trans people were mistreated by the police.

The Minister of Defense announced in May that people living with HIV will be able to join the military and the ‘gendarmerie’.

Over 22,000 requests were made for medically assisted procreation (MAP) by the end of 2022, following the 2021 law which made it available to lesbian couples and single women. In 2022, the Constitutional Council ruled that excluding trans and intersex people, whose legal gender is not ‘female’, from cost coverage for in vitro fertilisation is not unconstitutional. This July, some LFI MPs tabled a bill that would enable trans people to access MAP and also to preserve their gametes; it would also allow egg donation among female partners. The Ministry of Health has so far held its position against these additions.

In December, the ‘Conseil d’Etat’ delivered an opinion on the constitutional draft bill on abortion, deeming it necessary to name women as beneficiaries of this right and not including gender identity as protected ground.

LGBTQIA+ people and activists across France joined the pension reform demonstrations, which gathered hundreds of thousands, after the government announced it would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. In March for instance, protesters of the Pink bloc were targeted by police violence.

The new LGBT+ Action Plan envisions opening 10 new reception and support centres in France by 2027 and also in the country’s external territories.

La Bulle, a shelter for the most marginalised with LGBT+ communities opened in Paris in May, managed by LGBTI organisations with financing from the city council. A safe apartment opened in Limoges for LGBT+ people who are victims of violence and harassment. Lyon will open a home for LGBT seniors.