Is France ready? For former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, the French could elect an openly gay president or an openly lesbian president, he says in the documentary “Homos in politics, do you say it or not?”, published online on Friday, October 24 on the France Télévisions platform.
The documentary produced by journalists Renaud Saint-Cricq and Jean-Baptiste Marteau focuses on these elected officials, men and women, who spoke or accepted their sexual orientation, while questioning what this approach implies in the political world.
It was from his statement during his general policy speech in January 2024, during which he stated “that being French in 2024 means being able to be Prime Minister while being openly homosexual”, that the investigation began.
“Open and tolerant French people”
“In (France) in 2027 could we be presidential candidates and openly gay and lesbian?” asked the politician.
“I think it’s possible, of course,” he replies. “As we are a country that has made extraordinary progress, we have open and tolerant French people, I don’t think it is an obstacle,” he adds.
When asked about the possibility that the country could one day be led by a president belonging to the LGBT community, the politician reacted simply: “I hope so.”
Confidences of politicians
During this documentary, available on the France Télévisions platform since October 24, several political figures spoke.
In addition to Gabriel Attal, Sarah El Haïry, High Commissioner for Children, Jean-Luc Romero-Michel, Deputy Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, former PS Mayor of Paris, Mélissa Camara, European MEP of the Greens, and Jean-Philippe Tanguy, RN MEP for the Somme, spoke about their own experiences and feelings. Homophobic messages coming to light… Each experienced their homosexuality in their own way and faced different challenges.
Also in front of the camera is Franck Riester, former Minister of Culture. He talks about the importance of assuming one’s own sexual orientation within political institutions. “Being a homosexual politician allows young people to accept who they are, for their family to accept it much more easily,” he says.
Gabriel Attal had already spoken in the past about homophobia in the press. During a debate held in June 2024 on the sidelines of the first round of the legislative elections, he declared before Olivier Faure and Jordan Bardella: “I lived it, I live it. My luck is that I am well surrounded and armored.”
Source: BFM TV
