Gay holiday makers don’t have to fret if the UK crashes out of EU in March with no deal as this holiday company promises to not raise the cost of holidays.
The Lotus Tree, the longest-running gay guesthouse in the south of France, which is British run, is promising its UK guests that the price of their summer holidays will be unaffected even if we crash out of the EU without a deal.
A gay guesthouse in the South of France has declared that it has a deal – even if the UK doesn’t. The offer, only open to those with a UK bank account, promises not raise the cost of holidays – and they’ll even cover the cost of a visa if it becomes a requirement.
“It’s the first Brexit promise you can actually believe,” according to owner James Proctor.
“Some people might worry that if Britain crashes out of the EU and the pound plummets then the price of their holiday will skyrocket,” says James. “So we’re saying you can book now at today’s prices and we’ll guarantee no increases at all.
“Here at The Lotus Tree we’ve always thought Brexit was a bad idea. But we get loads of British guests every year and we don’t see why they should suffer no matter what happens.
“Even in the worse case scenario, if UK citizens have to pay for a visa waiver, we’ll cover the cost of that too. We believe in totally stress-free holidays so we’re saying you can come and relax in the sunshine of the south of France and forget all about what’s going on back home.”
Guests can pay for their holidays in pounds with the price guaranteed at the time of booking. The ‘Brexit-Buster Deal’ is available to anybody with a UK bank account.
The Lotus Tree has been hugely popular with gay travellers from the UK since it opened in 2001. With English-speaking staff and a full range of British TV channels available in all the rooms and studios, it claims to be a real ‘home from home’.
While some of the world’s most famous gay-themed films are produced in English-speaking countries, the French, have been making some of the world’s best same-sex romances, thrillers and dramas.
The best-rated gay/queer films made in France or that are French language
We have listed some of the most successful, critically acclaimed French-made/language films and rated them on their Rotten Tomatoes’ (RT) where available.
10 ) Les amitiés particulières (1964) RT 89%
A Special Friendship
Set in the 1930s the story follows two students who become close friends with tragic consequences. The film is based on a novel. Its plot was considered so controversial in 1964 its American release was postponed for three years.
10) Ma Vie En Rose (1997) RT 91%
My Life In Pink
A French/Belgium drama about a young child (Ludovic) whose gender expression leaves the family struggling. The film won a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
10) La Belle Saison (2016) 91%
Summertime
La Belle Saison is another French/Belgium romance film between two women. Set in 1971, farmer’s daughter Delphine moves to Paris to find her own path when she is introduced to Carole. The rest, as they say, is history.
7) Stranger By The Lake (2014) 93%
The film set on a tranquil isolated lake in a beautiful corner of the French countryside where the beachfront is sparsely occupied by a handful of men sunbathing in the buff. Behind them lies a small wood which is a busy cruising area for gay men.
This is a wonderful erotic thriller, well-written and beautifully photographed in a way that belies the fact that this idyllic looking spot hides such violent and deadly deeds. The story places passion before danger and proves that it is not always a wise choice.
The film follows the sexual awakenings and blossoming romance between two 17-year-old boys who begin their relationship in violence.
5) Call Me By Your Name (2018) RT 95%
The break out coming of age, pan-European film of 2017, based on the novel of the same name. A young man falls in love with his father’s summer intern. The pair falls in love over a long Italian summer with a bitter-sweet ending.
Two men meet at one of Paris’ most popular, and notorious, gay sex clubs, and then embark on an evening with lots of twist and turns, in the new film Theo & Hugo.
You might think you’re watching a gay porn film as the first 20 minutes of Theo & Hugo is full-on man-to-man action – erections and anal sex are all on full display, filmed at L’Impact – a naked gay sex club in the Marais district in Paris. Theo and Hugo, In French, with English subtitles, is shot in real-time, and it’s in that club where Theo and Hugo meet, at exactly 4:27 a.m., amongst the writhing and moaning group of men who are all enjoying each others’ company.
A classic comedy romp and the precursor to the 90s Robin Williams / Nathan Lane hit, The Birdcage.
1) Les Invisibles (2012) 100%
The Invisibles
A refreshingly honest and prevailing documentary film following the lives of eleven elderly gay men and women, something which has had little representation in gay culture.
A superb collection of intimate autobiographical stories on what it was like growing up being gay and the pain of suppression. Somehow it seems more sincere coming from elderly people with incredibly fascinating memories to share. It was so easy to become affectionate towards these unashamed individuals and their lives.
Grounding-breaking for its time, Un chant d’amour was actually banned in 1950. Set in a French prison, the guard becomes infatuated with his prisoners. It is just 26 minutes long and there is no dialogue.
France has selected Robin Campillo’s “120 Beats Per Minute”, this year’s Grand Prix winner at the Cannes Film Festival, as its submission in the best foreign-language film category of the Oscars.
A tribute to direct-action group ACT UP, Campillo’s new feature is a deeply moving drama about gay activists striving to live life to the fullest… (more…)
A rare posthumous wedding has taken place, between Xavier Jugelé and Etienne Cardiles, following Mr Jugele’s death in a terrorist attack in Paris in April.
Etienne Cardiles has posthumously married his partner, Xavier Jugelé. Along with the marriage, Mr Jugelé was also awarded the Legion of Honour, one of France’s highest awards.
The couple were civily wed, called a Pacte Civil de Solidarité (PACS) before Mr Jugelé death but now the partnership has been changed to a marriage.
Mr Jugelé was the sole fatality of a terrorist attack in Paris in April. Mr Jugelé was described by the New York Times as a “proud gay man”. He had been a serving officer since 2010.
The 37-year-old officer was shot by a gunman who was later killed by French security forces as he tried to flee the scene.
Mr Jugelé was sitting in a police vehicle near the world-famous Champs-Élysées when the gunman opened fire.
The shooter, 39-year-old Karim Cheurfi, was apparently known to security services had been a list of suspected terrorists. He lived in the city’s suburbs. ISIS have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Marion Maréchal-Le Pen has “guaranteed” that the repeal of gay marriage laws will happen should her aunt, Marine Le Pen, be successful in the forthcoming French Presidential elections.
“It will not be the first priority, but … [repealing gay marriage] is a promise that we will stick to, and I will personally guarantee that this bill is demolished”.
Proposal number 87, was buried at the back of Le Pen’s manifesto. It contained this pledge,
“The Front National will replace the provisions made under the Taubira law [the bill enabling people of the same sex to wed, named after Justice Minister Christine Taubira] with civil unions,”
Ms Maréchal-Le Pen said that it would not be the “first priority” but that she would “personally guarantee that this bill is demolished”. The 27-year-old MP is well-known for her opposition to gay marriage.
Last year she suggested that accepting gay marriage could lead to multiple partner marriages. In an interview with the Telegraph she said that if society was to break away from the heteronormative model of opposite-sex marriages, other “minorities” could want their love recognised by the state.
Marine Le Pen’s opposition in the forthcoming election, Emmanuel Macron backs gay marriage and has said that would support IVF (PMA) for lesbian couples. The duo goes head to head on the 7th May 2017 to become the 25th French president.
The policeman who was shot and killed in what is being called a suspected terror attack in the French capital was a “proud gay man” committed to the LGBT cause.
Xavier Jugelé was killed when he was shot in the head in a suspected terror attack in Paris, last night. It has been revealed that he leaves behind his partner, who he was civilly wed to. He was a member of Flag!, a group that represents LGBT police officers.
Mr Jugelé was described by the New York Times as a “proud gay man”. He had been a serving officer since 2010.
The 37-year-old officer was shot by a gunman who was later killed by French security forces as he tried to flee the scene.
Mr Jugelé was sitting in a police vehicle near the world-famous Champs-Élysées when the gunman opened fire.
The shooter, 39-year-old Karim Cheurfi, was apparently known to security services had been a list of suspected terrorists. He lived in the city’s suburbs. ISIS have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr Jugelé had been one of the first responders during the 2015 Paris terror attacks in which 130 people were killed.
France’s far-right presidential hopeful, Marine Le Pen says she’ll end gay marriage in a quiet pledge buried pages deep into Manifesto.
Foto-AG Gymnasium Melle [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsMarine Le Pen has pledged that she’ll end same-sex marriage retroactively should she become France’s next president. The far-right politician, who heads the National Front is proposing to revert the law back to the 2013 system which only extended civil partnership to gay couples.
She writes,
Créer une union civile (PACS amélioré) qui viendra remplacer les dispositions de la loi Taubira, sans e et rétroactif.
Translation: To create a civil union (PACS ameliore) which will replace the provisions of the Taubira law without retroactive effect (thanks to @Hamfan4)
It seems she is proposing a change to the law that would not affect same-sex couple who are already married, but would be retroactive, meaning that there would be no new marriage licenses issued for gay couples. They would be offered civil partnerships instead according to legal experts.
French MP, Marion Maréchal-Le Pen has suggested that accepting gay marriage could lead to multiple partner marriages.
CREDIT: Wikipedia / CC By Rémi Noyon aka RemiJDN derivative work: Hégésippe Cormier [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Marion Maréchal-Le Pen has told The Telegraph in an exclusive interview that she is strongly opposed to same-sex marriage saying that if the traditional family model is broken that marriages between multiple partners might not be far behind. She suggested that if society was to break away from the heteronormative model of opposite-sex marriages, other “minorities” could want their love recognised by the state.
The 26-year-old FrontNational MP said in her interview,
“Once you break away from the natural framework of a man and a woman, you could have other minorities who want their form of love recognised by the state. If you endorse homosexuality [in marriage], why not polygamy?”
The attacker who killed 84 and injured 202 others, was allegedly “bisexual” according to reports after gay hook up apps were found on his phone.
http://gty.im/576512506
Tunisian born, French National, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel killed 84 people and injured 202 more in the city of Nice last Thursday when he ploughed a hired truck into crowds of revellers celebrating Bastille Day on the French Rivera.
According to a number of reports, the 31-year-old attacker had used gay hook up apps on his phone before his own death, when the city’s police shot him at the end of the rampage.
Although no evidence has been found to suggest that Lahouaiej-Bouhlel committed the massacre on behalf of the Islamic State, (ISIS), the terror organisation claimed the attack as theirs, saying that he was a “soldier” for their cause.
According to leaked reports, investigators found Lahouaiej-Bouhlel’s phone to have gay and straight hook up and dating apps installed, with a number of topless selfies.
ISIS have zero tolerance for gay and bisexual men. Men who are found to be having homosexual relationships are most often executed. They are usually thrown off a multi-storey building in front of a crowd, who then stone the victim to death if he has survived the fall.
Lahouaiej-Bouhlel’s family confirmed that he was not particularly religious saying that he often ate pork, got drunk regularly and did not observe Ramadam. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that investigators were working on the assumption that he had been radicalized very recently and quickly.
The attack in Nice is the third terrorist event in France in 18 months.
Nice, France – February: Each year, for the entire month of February, Nice on the French Riviera is overtaken with celebrations of the Carnaval.
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
This year, due to recent events in Paris, the festival was reduced to two and a half weeks. At the heart of the festival, is the King and Queen of Carnival, two massive floats that sit in the city centre presiding over each and every day of the Carnival, while the city celebrates with flower parades, parades of light and the very first Queernaval in France, until the final day, when the king is towed out to sea and burned.
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
The weekend I visited Nice, the sun was shining brightly and the city was warm. Upon arriving at the simply stunning Ellington Hotel a short walking distance from the centre of the Nice old town, I was taken immediately by the old-world charm of the hotel. The interior is decorated with deep colours reminiscent of 19th century French design. The colours are deep and the light fittings opulent. My suite looked out over the street and the king sized bed was so deliciously soft that I nearly fell asleep right there after my flight down from Bremen.
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
However, the days were perfect to wander the streets and explore the little hidden secrets of the Nice old town. While the main parts of the city are easy to find, from the main market square in the old town, right next to Matisse’s old home, along the main shopping area, filled with adorable little shops and cafes, restaurants and bars, up to Place Garibaldi, named after the Nicoise politician who is considered one of the fathers of unified Italy, despite Nice eventually becoming part of France in the 1800’s.
The traditional Nicoise style and architecture is still apparent in the old town, with tall closely huddled buildings in terracotta, yellows and pale pinks lining the streets, often with traditionally green shutters. The street signs are also given in the traditional Nicoise names, as well as the new French names. Sometimes these are simple translations, but other times, the names are entirely different.
If you take a moment to walk away from the crowds, and through the back streets, you get to see a completely different part of the city. The hustle and bustle of the crowds dies away and the streets seem quiet. Looking up, you can see people’s washing hanging from the lines outside windows, it really feels as though you have been pulled backwards through time and the modern world isn’t important. The most interesting thing about these back streets, is that for the most part, there really isn’t anything to do. There are no café’s hidden away, no little secret stores. These are the houses of the people who live in the old town, or the backs of the stores that can be found in the other streets. If you take the right streets, perhaps with the help of Google Maps, you can wander your way through the back streets and find the memorial to Nice’s very own ‘Joan of Arc’ character, Catarina Ségurana who led the army to fight back an invasion attempt by the French king and his Ottoman allies in 1543. Wander further and you’ll find the back steps up to where the Nice castle used to stand, looking out over the city, until Louis the 14th had it dismantled block by block after taking it by siege. The view is incredible over the entire city of Nice, across the Med towards the airport and beyond, and back towards the alps that the city nestles itself against.
Aside from exploring the town, there is another great reason to visit Nice during Carnival, and that is: the parties. Particularly, Lou Queernaval. Organised by the same people who manage the LGBT organisation and the Nice Pride parade, Queernaval is the first LGBT Carnival in France, and this year, returned for a triumphant second year of celebrations. The streets were jam packed with people, both gay and straight, celebrating queer culture in Nice and the surrounding areas. The parade took place in Messina Square, in the heart of the city, between the old and new towns. People packed the stadium seating, and crammed in around the floats on the road, dressed in all manner of costumes and outrageous outfits to celebrate the event.
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
On the day of the big event we stopped for lunch at the long-time family owned Acciardo restaurant where we were served by the younger generation of the family a delightful pair who served us an incredible selection of traditional nicoise food: a gnocchi made from Shard, a particularly traditional ingredient for Nice, Daube a slow cooked beef stew served with ravioli – a particularly incredible, but heavy dish, alongside nicoise salad and traditional entrées. I honestly have not eaten so much food in a long time, followed by a lemon meringue tart which we had to share, simply because we couldn’t eat a whole one. It was a good thing we had plenty of errands to run in the afternoon, including getting some spiffing costumes to wear to the parade. I decided along with two others who I joined at the festival, to go as French noblemen. I was ‘The Old Comte De Plonge’, joined by Monsignor La Vache, and The Comte de Frou Frou (thanks French & Saunders for the names!)
For dinner we were treated to some more local cuisine at the L’Empire restaurant. Succulent legs of chicken resting on beds of potato salad with a rich mushroom sauce, and fluffy chocolate sponge cake which was just to die for. There is one thing for sure, if you visit Nice, you won’t go hungry, and you won’t be starved for choices.
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
We quickly moved on to the Queernaval to see the show begin, and it did not disappoint. The event was hosted by the fabulously dressed Erwan, complete with a massive pair of feather wings. He was joined at the celebrations by local bands, local dancing troupes, a sea of drag queens and dancers and Manuel Blanche, a simply stunning DJ from Paris. The party began with a bang and went on until midnight when it moved to local bar Glam to continue well into the night.
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
The next morning, we met our group after breakfast and walked into town to make a short tour of the old town and the daily market that happens in the square. The market is different every day, but on the weekend it is local flowers, spices, herbs and other foods. Among the stores in the old town there is a store with traditional sweets from Nice made from sugared flowers and candied fruits. Definitely something worth trying while you are visiting Nice.
Through the old town which, like most old towns, is a mess of winding streets containing various stores of locally made produce, pottery, food, gifts and souvenirs. At the end of the plaza is the house that Henri Matisse lived in while he was in Nice. The house is still in use as a house, and there is a Matisse museum a short bus ride out of the main city area. It’s worth taking a few hours to explore the streets, and to wander away from the main shopping streets and discovering the quiet streets where there are less tourists, a more traditional look to the old town, with coloured buildings and shutters, washing hanging across the street 4-floors up. There are hidden treasures around the town, with things such as two holes in a wall where two cannonballs struck the wall during a failed invasion by the French and Turkish forces.
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
Our afternoon was filled by a visit to the festival of flowers, a parade of locally-grown flowers and colourful floats and giant floating ‘things’. The street parade runs several times during the weeks of Carnaval in the mid-afternoon along the Avenue de Americas on Nice’s beachfront.
CReDIT: Aaron Holloway
Just a few minutes walk along the Avenue de Americas is the Nice Castle Mont. While the castle is no longer on the top of the hill, after being dismantled by the King of France after finally capturing the city after a long siege, there is a park and lookout from which you can see far into the Mediterranean and beyond the mountains behind Nice. The long walk up the steps is worth it once you get to the top and can enjoy the view. There’s even a back-passage you can take down the mountain that drops you at the back of the old town along the main shopping street.
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
The main event for the Carnaval is the Carnaval parade on Saturday night. When this parade gets going the king and queen, two massive floats with moving parts are joined by a large number of other floats made by local artisans to a theme, this year’s theme was the King of the Media, and along with music and dancers and performers they drive around Messina Square for a couple of hours. The French floats are certainly not shy in pressing the controversial issues, covering ideas of kids consumed by phones and television, politicians being caught with strippers and Chinese and North Korean censorship issues.
CREDIT: Aaron Holloway
Les Garcons: Gay restaurant in the gay section of the town has a great selection of local food and wine, and an incredible basement for having a few drinks while waiting for your table.
Attimi: A ‘Slow food experience’ made with locally sourced fresh food. The service is quick and the food is light and fresh and perfect for sharing with a group.
Gaglio: A traditional Nicoise restaurant with a great selection of local cuisine. Located next to the park a short walk from the old town.
L’Empire: A modern dining restaurant in a minimalist style, the food is rich and full of flavour, the staff friendly (and attractive!)
Gay Air France flight attendants are concerned over flying into Iran after the airline reinstated flights to the country.
CREDIT: AirFrance
Air France is due to recommence flights to Tehran in Iran which has left many of its gay flight attendants fearing for their lives and what might happen to them after landing.
A petition has been created by a concerned employee of France’s largest airline who called for the airline to re-look at its ethics.
The petition has reached over 13,000 signatures.
Mr. Laurent who created the petition called upon Air France/KLM to reconsider its ethical stance on sending gay flight attendants to Iran
“It is time again to show that Air France believes in ethics, not only for his public image. [But to] grant gay crew the right to refuse to go to a country where they could be killed for who they are.”
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Homosexuality is illegal in Iran and those found guilty can face 74 lashes or the death penalty.
In 2008 Air France suspended flights to Iran. The airline is resuming the service after international sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear programme were lifted.
Speaking about Air France’s decision to resume flights to Iran, Mr. Laurent commented,
“If the economic decision to open flights to Tehran is understandable, the moral issue is different. Human Rights in this country are almost non-existent.”
Air France has already said it will allow female flight attendants the right to refuse travel to Iran. The petition is asking the company to consider the same option for those who identify as openly gay.
“Fortunately, the unions intervened, the feminist cause is often seen, the media seized the debate, the hostess got (which would have seemed logical from the start) the right to refuse travel.”
TheGayUK reached out to Air France for comment, the airline has yet to comment on the petition or answer questions about the safety of LGBT staff members.
![CREDIT: Wikipedia / CC By Rémi Noyon aka RemiJDN derivative work: Hégésippe Cormier [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.thegayuk.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/512px-Marion_Maréchal-Le_Pen_-_2012-04-22_-_Cropped.jpg "French MP: Gay Marriage Could \"Open The Door To Polygamy\" 7")
