On Saturday, April 25th, the first Pride march took place in Rostrenen, a town of 3,000 inhabitants in central Brittany, far from any major urban center. --- As the large, colorful procession, floats, and tractors crossed the town of Rostrenen, one question kept coming up: how did the organizers manage to gather 800 people in the middle of one of the most rural areas of Brittany? --- The main architect of this success is Antidotes, an "eco-feminist popular education" association. In practical terms, it handles various feminist activities, as well as LGBTQ+ activities, in the Rostrenen region. Activists there organize monthly queer discussions to exchange ideas, have tea, create a fanzine, and more.
These discussions attracted a diverse audience that extended far beyond personal connections: LGBTQ+ people living in rural areas, of all ages and backgrounds. Pride is therefore a continuation of this political work to build solidarity networks, but also a response to an increasingly anxiety-inducing situation in France and internationally. The rise of fascism makes it urgent to come together and organize, and for several years, Antidotes and labor unions have been organizing local antifascist and feminist demonstrations. Thus, Pride is not an end in itself; it is preceded and followed by political work.
Rostrenen Pride. Translation of the sign: "Not all pride is in Paris."
UCL Finistère
It is this political work that informed the demands of the march. One observation in particular resonates: our rights may exist on paper, but without the necessary resources, they do not reach us. How can we envision access to healthcare for LGBTQ+ people in our region when only the struggle of local residents is forcing the Regional Health Agency to keep the Carhaix hospital open? Our precarious situation is compounded by our reliance on cars for transportation. And if we have to travel to larger cities for administrative procedures and medical care, the state's anti-discrimination programs and their drastically reduced budgets never reach us.
Rostrenen is not alone. Pride marches are being organized in other rural areas with the same ambition: to share our experiences and showcase an open and supportive rural community, sometimes with a more sophisticated political engagement than some urban Pride events in Brittany. This is the result of in-depth political work in which UCL is proudly involved.
A-enep ar gasoni hag ar faskourien, Unaniezh, Ober, Emveriañ: Facing hatred and fascists: Unity, Action, Self-management!
Corentin (UCL Finistère) and Lou (UCL Rennes)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Bretagne-Pride-war-ar-maez-Pride-a-la-campagne
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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