Since the decriminalization and then the depathologization of homosexuality in the 1980s, it is through our struggles and those of our predecessors that we have won new rights. --- Access to marriage in 2013, the change of gender marker on civil status documents since 2016 without mandatory surgery, and access to assisted reproductive technology (ART) for cisgender women in 2021 were not, however, achieved without opposition. The year 2012-2013, the year of marriage equality, remains etched in the memories of our communities for its violence. Even today, the advancement of our rights seems to have stalled. Reactionary attacks and recurring funding shortages for the implementation of anti-discrimination policies render these policies utopian, particularly for migrants, residents of the so-called "overseas" neo-colonies, and those living in rural areas.
Faced with the reactionary offensive...
This situation is not unique to France, as internationally we are witnessing an offensive against LGBTI rights. In 2023, lesbian mothers had already lost their parental rights in Italy. A law making homosexuality illegal was adopted in Burkina Faso in September 2025 for the first time in the country's history. The European Commission refused in May 2026 to ban conversion therapies in the EU. In Senegal as well, the law was toughened last March, increasing prison sentences and leading to raids targeting LGBTI people. In Europe, our migrant siblings[1]are increasingly suffering the double burden of racism and LGBTIphobia. While progress has been made, such as the legalization of same-sex marriage in Thailand and decriminalization in Botswana this year, violence remains a daily occurrence in 2026, even resulting in death for those of us most at risk.[2]In the United States, where a genocidal risk against trans people has been documented (as evidenced by the announcement in May 2026 of the addition of "trans activists" to the terrorist category), the situation is particularly alarming. This is not only true locally, where the Republican Party has used transphobia as a strategic springboard to construct an "enemy within" and control bodies; but also across a capitalist world where US policy is held up as a model and serves as an example to all far-right parties, including the National Rally in France. And supporting them are billionaires like Vincent Bolloré and Pierre-Edouard Stérin, determined to criminalize us in the public debate through the media and cultural institutions they control.
...organize the counter-offensive
Faced with this grim reality, one thing is clear: solidarity and the fight against the far right are vital necessities. Our communities have always been anti-fascist spaces and must remain so. Not only to defend our rights but also to win new ones: better access to healthcare, a simplification and depathologization of transition processes, access to assisted reproductive technology (ART) for transgender people, an end to discrimination in employment and housing, an end to the registration of individuals when applying for a change of legal gender, the effective implementation of the EVARS (Education in Affective, Relational, and Sexual Life) program in all schools... but also other models of love, gender, aging, family, and society to replace the patriarchal model.
Faced with oppression, Pride marches are as much a place of hope and joy as they are of resistance. The proliferation of Pride marches, particularly in rural areas, is living proof of our strength in numbers and demonstrates our determination to combat reactionary violence. It is crucial that these Pride marches remain political and antifascist. We are not simply marching to gather together; we are marching to overthrow a system that oppresses us and is accelerating its alliances to erase our rights. Our pride knows no borders or blinders: let us demonstrate for international antifascist LGBTI solidarity.
Faced with the fascist threat, at all times, in all places: Unity, Action, Self-Management!
Libertarian Communist Union, June 8, 2026.
[1]Neutral term equivalent to "brothers" or "sisters"
[2]Neutral term equivalent to "those"
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Pour-une-contre-offensive-LGBTI
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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