''Gai pied'' or ''Gai pied hebdo'' was a monthly, then weekly (hence the name Hebdo), French

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

magazine, founded by Jean Le Bitoux. Its name, which literally means "Gay foot", is a homophone of ''guêpier'', which means a hornet's nest or, figuratively, a trap or pitfall — a reference to the magazine's determination to torment the status-quo.

History and profile

The magazine's name was suggested by

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault ( , ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French History of ideas, historian of ideas and Philosophy, philosopher who was also an author, Literary criticism, literary critic, Activism, political activist, and teacher. Fo ...

, who wrote an article for the first issue and continued to contribute material to the magazine throughout its existence. The first issue was sold at two thousand kiosks throughout France on 1 April 1979. It was published by Pink Triangle publications and printed by the Revolutionary Communist League. Among the magazine's collaborators were Yves Navarre, Tony Duvert, Gianni De Martino,

Guy Hocquenghem Guy Hocquenghem (; 10 December 1946 – 28 August 1988) was a French writer, philosopher, and queer theorist. Biography Hocquenghem was born in the suburbs of Paris, France, and was educated at the Lycée Lakanal in Sceaux and the Ecole Norm ...

, Renaud Camus, Alain Pacadis,

Copi COPI is a coatomer, a protein complex that coats vesicle (biology), vesicles transporting proteins from the ''cis'' end of the Golgi complex back to the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where they were originally Translation (genetics), synthesi ...

, Hugo Marsan, Emmanuel Dreuilhe and others. The magazine enjoyed great success among French gays, and increased their visibility. Apart from its articles, the magazine published personal ads and erotic photographs. In 1980,

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

agreed to an interview with the magazine, as did artists

David Hockney David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English Painting, painter, Drawing, draughtsman, Printmaking, printmaker, Scenic design, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considere ...

and Barbara and politicians

Pierre Bérégovoy Pierre Eugène Bérégovoy (; 23 December 1925 – 1 May 1993) was a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France under President François Mitterrand from 2 April 1992 to 29 March 1993. He was a member of the Socialist Party and ...

and

Gaston Defferre Gaston Defferre (14 September 1910 – 7 May 1986) was a French Socialist politician. He served as mayor of Marseille for 33 years until his death in 1986. He was minister for overseas territories in Guy Mollet’s socialist government in 1956 ...

, showing their support for the magazine's cause. In 1987, minister of the interior

Charles Pasqua Charles Victor Pasqua (18 April 192729 June 2015) was a French businessman and Gaullist politician. He was Interior Minister from 1986 to 1988, under Jacques Chirac's ''cohabitation'' government, and also from 1993 to 1995, under the government ...

attempted to ban the publication of ''Gai pied''. A demonstration on 19 March, along with statements of support from many public figures including minister of culture

François Léotard François Gérard Marie Léotard (; 26 March 1942 – 25 April 2023) was a French politician. Singer and actor Philippe Léotard was his brother. A member of the Republican Party, the liberal-conservative component of the Union for French ...

, prevented the ban. Between 1987 and 1990 the magazine controlled

FG DJ Radio Radio FG (; since February 2013, formerly FG DJ Radio, acronym for Feel Good) is a French-language radio station that began broadcasting from Paris on 98.2 MHz in the FM band in 1981. It is France's first radio station that broadcasts deep ...

. Despite early success, the magazine struggled to respond to the menace of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

, and was dealt a financial blow by the success of

Minitel The Minitel, officially known as TELETEL, was an interactive videotex online service accessible through telephone lines. It was the world's first and most successful mass-market online service prior to the World Wide Web. It was developed in Ces ...

. After losing much of its readership, the magazine ended publication in 1991.

References

External links

The authentic history of ''Gai Pied''
by Jean Le Bitoux
''The pink flag at half mast''
an article on the magazine's discontinuation {{DEFAULTSORT:Gai pied 1979 establishments in France 1991 disestablishments in France Gay culture in France Defunct magazines published in France Defunct French-language magazines LGBTQ-related magazines published in France Defunct gay men's magazines Magazines established in 1979 Magazines disestablished in 1991 Monthly magazines published in France

History and profile

See also

References

External links