Poster for the French Gay Pride: The debate rages on

A few days ago, Inter-LGBT, the organizational committee of the French gay pride, has revealed the poster for the 2011 edition. And it created quite a buzz!

When I saw it online the other morning, I spit my coffee. Through my nose. And straight onto my new keyboard. Make sure to empty your mouth and check it out:



The sweet irony is that this year and for the first time, a communication agency has designed the poster, not volunteers like for the previous editions. What bothers me here is that even though an agency can’t be held responsible for everything, since they work according to a brief, this one’s visually ugly. Isn’t it the era of graphic design? I mean, they could have designed a good looking rooster instead of using this picture. I don’t like this rooster’s eye. I find it scary.

I’m fully aware that designing for the LGBT community is a challenge. It’s hard to avoid the clichés and include the L, G, B and T in a single visual. A few years ago, I was part of the LGBT film festival of Grenoble and every year we organized a poster contest to promote the new edition. And every year I would end up crying, yelling or, well, sulking. Most submissions we received represented only men, used all the possible clichés or displayed a poorly photoshopped rainbow. Frustrating, to say the least, and the source of heated discussions.

This one poster bothers me, and not just because it’s ugly. Like a lot of people, I’m uncomfortable with the use of nationalist symbols like the rooster and the red and blue, at a time where the French LGBT community has no reason to be proud of its country. These are the symbols traditionally used by extreme right parties in France. I would have found it funny if this had been a poster released before the 2012 election to call the LGBT upon to vote. That would have been funny, in a sarcastic kind of way. But right now, using the symbols of a republic that’s being repressive towards gays and lesbians to promote an event that’s more festive than political seems… wrong.

Asked about the poster, Inter-LGBT spokesperson Nicolas Gougain says that he regrets that some people seem to believe that those symbols are those of extreme right party Front National:


A symbol of the Republic or nation must not belong to the extreme right only.



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I agree with him, but let’s face it: it is exactly the case nowadays. Is Pride the right place to fight this? Besides, there are other ways to use national clichés or symbols: check out the poster for the Euro Pride in Roma. I think it’s brilliant, and the perfect counter-example of the French one.



We are a minority that needs visibility and acceptance and I’m not sure that the use of third degree ‘humor’ is a smart choice. We might be able to get it, but do we want to scare straight people off by sending mixed signals? I mean, it’s not only about the rooster. Look at that boa. Do we really need to use the same old clichés to communicate around our identity?

Nicolas Gougain sees it as “gender bending”. Uh. How can you talk about gender bending when genders are not even represented in the poster? Once again, the LGBT community is reduced to men. Only this time, it’s not even flattering for them: in French, the phrase ‘proud as a rooster’ refers to a rather arrogant, macho man. Pride is also about unity, about getting together. This poster divides. There are groups on Facebook and hundreds of comments and posts on French LGBT websites and blogs. Creating the buzz is good. What’s a failure in my book is dividing a community which usually finds strength in its unity.

Am I being too severe? What do you think of this poster? Let us know in the comments.

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