"Les Filles" of the Gay Pride Parade
Parler Paris Nouvellettre®
Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Monday, June 28, 2010 • Paris, France
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Gay Pride is one of those Paris events that I am loathe to miss. No matter what your sexual preference or feelings toward the gay community, the annual parade is simply a hilarious display of 'anything goes' with a spirit of openness, outrageousness and pure fun.
The parade starts at Place du 18 Juin 1940 at Montparnasse about 2 p.m. on the last Saturday in June (this was the 9th edition), winding its way through the boulevards of Paris to finally disperse at La Bastille. After many years of attending, I've learned that it's best to be near the Bastille about 5 p.m. and then as it lands, walk against the direction of the parade along boulevard Henri IV so that you can see all the floats and paraders until the very end, where the clean up crews follow behind to tidy up immediately after.
About 80 organizations participated in the parade, with floats or processions, including the RATP and SNCF. Democrats Abroad France marched in this year's parade...and as they were passing, I heard my name yelled out by wild guy gay friend, Andrew, dressed in "Aunt Samantha" American drag...of course!
The costuming...and lack of costuming(1)...is awe-inspiring, particularly the mile-high shoes the 'ladies' wear to trek miles through the streets of Paris. There are so many manufactured breasts (exposed, of course) that one would think they were in Hollywood eyeing a parade of Starlets. There are lots of cheeks floating freely, too -- but, not the facial kind. It's tough to tell the sex or sexual preference of just about anyone -- it's so mixed up between homosexual, bi-sexual, heterosexual or homophobic, but it really doesn't matter, since it's all in good fun and meant to raise awareness and money for HIV research, as well as to promote acceptance of homosexual activity across the nations.
Some people think it works against the gay community. One columnist wrote: "While everyone does have a right to their own lifestyle choices, if the goal of the gay and lesbian community is to gain acceptance within mainstream culture, it’s a terrible idea to shock and offend those very same people you wish to persuade to support you. If anything, all the shock factor serves to do is reinforce the negative and false stereotype that gays and lesbians are wild, immoral sex fiends."
This is where I chuckle...because he missed the point. The fact that he was shocked by the outrageousness did in fact raise his awareness of the size, scope and importance of both the community and the cause...and he chose to write about it, creating even more awareness by his readers.
Either way, I make no judgment nor statement of opinion, as everyone has a right to their own, but I can tell you one thing -- it's a 'helluva' lot of fun on a Saturday afternoon in Paris! There's lots of laughs, lots of 'eye candy' and a lot to life out there to think about.
A la prochaine...
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
(with Drag Queen Friend, Andrew)
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P.S. This coming September, I'm heading west to meet with many of you in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and the Los Angeles area during the "Living the Dream to Live in France" tour. I hope you can join me for the presentations in any of these great cities, but if you can't be there and would like to discuss your personal property investment goals, there are few select moments during the tour for individual one-on-one consultations! Scroll down for more information or visit frenchpropertyconference.com
P.S. Mark your calendar for the upcoming House Hunters International Episodes at the end of this coming July. Scroll down for more information.
Special Condolences: To my daughter and her father's family on the loss of her Grandmother, Shirley D. Leeds, on June 27th in Knoxville, Tennessee, who was one of those very special beings on the planet that don't come around often, with more love to give everyone than the earth can sustain. She will be sadly missed by all.
"Living the Dream to Live in France" --
a 2010 Speaking Tour with Adrian Leeds
Perhaps you dream of owning property in France, but don’t know how to go about doing it. The system is very different in France from the U.S. and littered with ‘pitfalls,’ but is very "doable" given the right information and advice.
During a two-hour PowerPoint presentation, Adrian Leeds, Director of the Adrian Leeds Group, will provide a basis from which you can accomplish your goals to invest in real estate in Paris or other areas of France. Adrian will give an overview of the property market in France and a description of what is involved in order to make a viable investment that will provide both pleasure and reward. She will share her experience and knowledge in a way that will enable a would-be investor to make the right decisions to fulfill his own personal dream. Following the presentation, you'll have an opportunity to ask questions related to the topics and a cocktail reception will follow.
SAN FRANCISCO
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Hosted by the Alliance Française San Francisco
http://www.afsf.com
SEATTLE
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Hosted by the French-American Chamber of Commerce
of the Pacific Northwest
PORTLAND
Co-Hosted by the French-American Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest
and the Alliance Française de Portland
PLUS!...Book Your Private Consultation with Adrian Leeds while she's visiting your town. $185 per hour.
For more information and to reserve your place or consultation, visit http://www.frenchpropertyconference.com
