Gay Guide

Paris

Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Strasbourg, Nantes

France has always been been fairly tolerant in matters of private morality including homosexuality and this is reflected in the countries progessive legislation. There is a vibrant gay scene in Paris with loads of bars, club, cafes, restaurants and saunas. With the fantastic food and great culture gay and lesbian visitors to France are always assured of brilliant time.

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The French Revolution dropped ancient sodomy laws in the criminal code of 1791 and the Napoleonic Code of 1810, made no reference to sodomy or same-sex relations. They remained legal since that time, although a discriminatory age of consent existed from 1942 until 1982 when it was equalised.

Any discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment or service, public or private, has been prohibited since 1985. As yet there no anti-hatred laws but in late 2004 the National assembly introduced new laws which will if passed make homophobic or sexist comments illegal and will outlaw homophobia in the workplace. Gays and lesbians are free to serve in the Armed forces. In 1999 Partnership laws were introduced granting extensive legal rights to unmarried couples, including gays. There has been recent pressure to extend this to full marriage rights without success.

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The best time to visit France is from April to September though going slightly off seasons means there are less crowds.

France's climate ranges from a Mediterranean in the south with warm humid winters and hot dry summers to a maritime in the northwest with mild winters and cool summers as well as frequent fine rain or drizzle. In the east a continental climate is more dominant, characterized by cold winters with frost, long periods of snow cover and warm summers. France receives an average of 450mm of precipitation each year and no part of the country receives less than 508 mm annually. Average temperature ranges in Paris are from 1c to 6c in January to 14c to 25c in July.