Association of LGBTI Journalists

Last updated

Association of LGBTI Journalists
Association des journalistes LGBTI
FoundedMay 2013
HeadquartersParis
Region
France
President
Rachel Garrat-Valcarcel, Ingrid Therwath
Affiliationsmembre du centre LGBT Paris Ile-de-France
Website ajlgbt.info

The Association of LGBTI Journalists (or AJL) is an LGBTI group founded in France in 2013. This French nonprofit association works towards a better media coverage of LGBTI issues, of issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation. Its members are journalists from a wide range of newsrooms as well as freelance journalists. Since 2017, the AJL has been organizing an annual ceremony, the « Out d’or » (the Golden Outs or Outs of Gold), during which artists, journalists and diverse personalities are awarded for their work towards LGBTI visibility.

Contents

Founded in the wake of the debates surrounding the French Marriage Equality Bill

The Association of LGBTI Journalists (which became the LGBTI journalists’ association [ citation needed ]) was founded in May 2013 shortly after the Marriage Equality Bill (known as Mariage pour Tous) was passed in France. Its founding members were shocked by the careless manner in which the media platformed the homophobic arguments of the bill's opponents. [1] These journalists regretted that « the space given to the opponents and their hate speech had been justified by the need to give a « balanced treatment » of this issue ».

Everything happened as if the homophobic nature of the comments were only a matter of opinion and not a punishable offence », the association explains in its introduction. The members of the AJL wish to challenge the media « each time content that is insulting and discriminatory against gay, lesbians, bi, transgender and intersex persons is published ».

The creation of the AJL was marked by the publication of a collective article for an LGBT journalists’ association published in the daily newspaper Libération on 16 May 2013. [2] « Through its scrutiny of the « Fourth Estate », the association probably hopes to contribute to the change in mentalities », later wrote the news weekly L'Express [3] . The AJL got its inspiration from the American National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, founded in 1990 by Leroy F. Aarons.

Activities of the AJL

On its website, the association details its different activities: the publication of studies, of a best-practice tool kit, acting as media watchdog, teaching and awareness-raising journalism schools, participating in conferences... The AJL engages and challenges the media when it feels that the LGBT people are misrepresented. In 2014, it questioned TV5 Monde about the terms it chose to present a debate on its Facebook. [4]

On October 13, 2016, the association wrote a piece to expose the transphobic remarks that occurred on the set [5] of the opening show of the Grand journal (Canal +) new season, during the first appearance of Brigitte Boréale, a transgender woman, as a columnist. The AJL announced it would petition the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA, Superior Council of the Audiovisual. [6] ) In 2016, the AJL published another article in the daily newspaper Libération about the media coverage of the 12 June 2016 Orlando shooting. "When the details American shooting became known, very few French news outlet underlined the homophobic nature of the attack", wrote the AJL. [7] The AJL also takes a stance about journalists’ working-conditions. For instance, in February 2019, after the cyber-bullying of women journalists by male journalists belonging to the «  Ligue du LOL  », the AJL and the feminist association Prenons la Une co-signed an article titled "The League of the LOL is by no means an exception" in Le Monde . In this article, the AJL urged "the editorial managers to take stock of the extent of the cyber-bullying targeting female journalists, in particular if they belong to an ethnic minority, are differently-abled, fat, or if they belong to the LGBTQ+ community". The AJL recommends "hiring, in mass, women, people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ people to fill in the key jobs in the newsrooms » so as to do way with « the reality of a male domination based on the cooptation and the club mentality of white, straight men". [8]

The AJL takes an interest in the way LGBT characters are portrayed on TV fiction, as was the case about the show Louis(e), which was the first French TV series broadcast by TFI with a transgender heroin. [9] The AJL regularly takes part in conferences, for instance the Festival international du Journalisme de Pérouse, [10] [11] in 2015 and the 10th Assises du journalisme [12] in 2016. The AJL raises awareness about prejudice and delivers courses about the fair journalistic treatment of LGBTI issues in journalism schools like the ESJ-Lille or the IPJ. [13]

Since heterosexuality is a public matter (and on constant public display), the AJL wishes that homosexuality was not systematically limited to the private sphere. In 2014, the outing of Florian Philippot, the Rassemblement national's vice-president, by the magazine Closer had shocked many political actors and many people in the media. According to the AJL, such an outrage was deeply problematic: its spokesperson explained that "there is something very French in the belief that revealing somebody's homosexuality is a monstrous invasion of his or her privacy". Alice Coffin est la co-présidente de l'association en 2017,. [14] [15]

A tool kit for the media

The AJL wished that the media were more careful in the words used to address LGBT persons, their families, friends and loved ones. On the eve of a demonstration organized by the Manif pour tous on 2 February 2014, [16] the AJL sent a press release to the French media asking fellow journalists to "be careful in their choices of words" and to "do in-depth work on these issues". Some people criticized this initiative. For instance, a journalist working for the Figaro, compared it to an attempt at « re-education ». [17]

During the June 2014 Pride March in Paris, the AJL published a toolkit aimed at the media and entitled "Informing without discriminating". The daily newspaper 20Minutes wrote: "with eight chapters such as "choosing the right words", "doing away with lesbian invisibility", "stereotypical representation of gay men" or "HIV-AIDS, how to talk about it?", this toolkit points at some of the media's bad habits. It tries to show how some words or expressions are inadequate and suggests alternatives." On the whole, the toolkit received a favourable response by the media.

Oui FM pointed to the necessity of such a toolkit :

Sometimes, the way we do our work and our values are discriminatory because of our reflexes, our habits, our hurtful humour, and our discriminatory treatment of information. This is not a text that coerces but one that raises awareness. [18]

The weekly L'Express [3] wrote: « This initiative invites us to ponder over the importance of words. This also applies to minorities, people for disadvantaged backgrounds, and religious groups". The women journalists’ collective Prenons la Une took example on the AJL for its own charter of "good terms" to used when dealing with violence against women. [19]

A charter against homophobia

In May 2015, The AJL announced that 25 French media houses had signed its charter against homophobia. Among them were print dailies ( Le Monde, L'Équipe ...), radio stations (Oui FM, Radio Nova...), and news websites (StreetPress, Mediapart...). In a tribune published by Libération on 14 May 2015, the AJL explained that the signatories had agreed to abide by several principles such as "the equal treatment of homosexuals, bisexuals and heterosexuals", "a fair and equal treatment of transgender persons" and "the prevention of any type of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in their newsrooms". [20] The number of signatories doubled within two years and, in 2017, the AJL stated that about 50 media had signed the charter.

Studies on the media treatment of LGBT people

Case study: homophobia on the TV show Touche pas à mon poste !

The AJL acts as a watchdog on the media treatment of LGBT persons and issues. In this spirit, it published a study entitled "Hanouna on C8: a month of ordinary homophobia". Over a period of a month (November 2016), the AJL recorded 42 mentions of homosexuality, amongst which 28 were "meant as bad taste jokes of a sexual nature", [21] [22] [23] in the show Touche pas à mon poste  ! on the TV channel C8". Many French media quoted this study but the show's host Cyril Hanouna did not comment of the accusation of homophobia leveled against him. [24]

A few months later, on 18 May 2017, Hanouna played a homophobic prank live on his show. In return, the AJL, published an article on the website of L'Express and stated that« the host of such a popular show should not give such an "example" of stigmatizing and humiliating a minority." The AJL exposed " a culture of bullying and homophobia" that could be conducive to the trivialization of malevolent acts amongst young viewerss. [25] According to the AJL, "gays are hypersexualized characters on this show and it is precisely one of the cornerstone of homophobic jokes". According to the AJL:

Gays are hypersexualized characters on this show and it is precisely one of the cornerstone of homophobic jokes. [26]

A study on five talk-shows

During the month of November 2017, the AJL decide to focus on 5 major French talk-shows: Quotidien, On n’est pas couché , Salut les terriens, L’heure des pros et C politique [27] . This meant watching and analyzing about 100 hours of TV content. The AJL selected these 5 shows "because of their influence and their popularity", explained Clément Giuliano, the AJL's co-president. [28] More than 50 occurrences of "particularly discriminatory or problematic" content aimed at LGBT minorities, women and Muslims were identified by the AJL. [29] The breakdown is as follows: 17 LGBT-phobic occurrences, including 6 targeting the transgender people, in addition to 20 occurrences of sexism, 9 occurrences of racism, and 8 occurrences during which sexual harassment was blatantly minimized.

“The findings of this study are worrying because they point out how difficult it is for TV shows to treat LGBT people, minorities and women in a respectful manner”, the AJL remarked. [30]

The « Out d'or » ceremony

Modelled after the American Glaad Awards, a ceremony named "Out d’or" has been organized annually since 2017.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in France</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in France are progressive by world standards. Although same-sex sexual activity was a capital crime that often resulted in the death penalty during the Ancien Régime, all sodomy laws were repealed in 1791 during the French Revolution. However, a lesser-known indecent exposure law that often targeted LGBT people was introduced in 1960, before being repealed in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Luxembourg</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Luxembourg have the same legal rights as non-LGBT people. Partnerships, which grant many of the benefits of marriage, have been recognised since 2004. In June 2014, the Luxembourgish Parliament passed a law enabling same-sex marriage and adoption rights, which took effect on 1 January 2015. Additionally, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and "change of sex" in employment, healthcare and the provision of goods and services is outlawed, and transgender people are allowed to change their legal gender on the basis of self-determination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyril Hanouna</span> French radio and television presenter

Cyril Valéry Isaac Hanouna is a French radio and television presenter, writer, author, columnist, producer, singer and occasional actor and comedian of Tunisian origin. He is best known for hosting the popular French TV show Touche pas à mon poste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black M</span> French rapper, singer and songwriter

Alpha Diallo, better known by his stage name Black M, is a French rapper, singer, songwriter and member of the Sexion d'Assaut group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Ciappa</span> French photographer and film director

Olivia Ciappa is a French photographer and film director. She is a director of short films, a director of musicals for the theater, illustrator of books for children, producer and director of documentaries, journalist of cinema, photographer also creator of stamps.

<i>Touche pas à mon poste !</i> French live television talk show

Touche pas à mon poste! (TPMP), literally "Don't Touch My TV Set!", is a French live television talk show. It is broadcast on C8 and produced by H2O Productions. The show, hosted by Cyril Hanouna, deals with media news; it is broadcast from Monday to Friday at 8:30 p.m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civitas (movement)</span>

Civitas, also known as France Jeunesse Civitas and Institut Civitas, was an association generally considered to be Traditionalist Catholic, integrist, nationalist, and of the extreme right. The association defines itself as a "Traditionalist Catholic lobby group". The group was once associated with the Society of St. Pius X, but it has evolved under the new leadership of Alain Escada and the "chaplaincy" is now provided by Capuchin Friars of Morgon. On February 14, 2023, the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) released a report in which it classified Civitas as a "religious nationalist", "anti-LGBTQ+", and "conspiracy" group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laure Calamy</span> French film and theatrical actress

Laure Calamy is a César Award-winning French film, TV and theatre actress best known for her roles in Call My Agent! and My Donkey, My Lover & I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Cagé</span> French economist

Julia Cagé is a French economist specializing in development economics, political economy, and economic history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night pride</span>

Night prides are protest demonstrations of LGBTI people alternative to the Pride marches, which are considered depoliticized.

Mounir Baatour is a Tunisian lawyer and LGBT activist. He is the leader of the Tunisian Liberal Party, and was the first openly gay presidential candidate in the Arab world.

Henri Tincq was a French journalist and Vatican expert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorena Parini</span> Swiss political scientist

Lorena Parini is a Swiss political scientist and gender studies scholar. She is a professor at the University of Geneva. She studies gender and politics, political discrimination against LGBT people, and the role and construction of social identities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centre de formation des journalistes de Paris</span> French Grande Ecole of Journalism, part of the Assas University, in Paris, France

The Centre de formation des journalistes or École CFJ is the journalism school of Paris-Panthéon-Assas University, located in Paris and Lyon, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radio BIP</span> Radio station in Besançon

Radio BIP is a French local and associative FM broadcasting station, active in Besançon and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The acronym BIP stands for Bisontine, Indépendante et Populaire, meaning "Bisontine, independent and popular". After originally operating as a pirate radio station from 1977 to 1978, it was refounded in 1981 as a "free radio". In 2022 it was still characterized by a total independence, the refusal of advertisement, and an important spot for politics and associations. Since 2015, its staff developed video and text channels in association with Média 25. It become a reference of social movement and underground culture, at the beginning of many cases during El Khomri law or Yellow vests.

InterAction is a Swiss organization for intersex people, parents, friends and allies to educate, provide peer support and address human rights issues.

The Collectif intersexe activiste - OII France, until 2022 known as the Collectif intersexes et allié.e.s, abbreviated to CIA-OII France, is a not-for-profit association founded in 2016 by Loé Petit and Lysandre Nury. It aims to defend and support intersex people.

William Buzy is a French writer born in 1989 and based in Liverpool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Dayer</span> Swiss feminist educator

Caroline Dayer is a Swiss feminist researcher, educator and writer specializing in gender studies. She is known for her engagement in LGBT rights and makes regular interventions as an expert in the media in Switzerland on issues like homophobia, sexism and street harassment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toulouse Pride</span>

The Toulouse Pride is a parade taking place every year since 1994, in the French city of Toulouse.

References

  1. ↑ Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel (21 May 2017). "Is media treament of LGBT issues equal and fair?". RFI.
  2. ↑ Le Collectif pour la création d’une Association des journalistes LgBT (16 May 2013). "Pour une association des journalistes LGBT". Libération (in French).
  3. 1 2 Hélaine Lefrançois (24 June 2014). "Une association de journalistes sort un kit pour parler des LGBT "avec justesse"". L'Express (in French).
  4. ↑ Maëlle Le Corre (5 March 2014). "Ce soir à la télé: le journal télévisé de TV5 Monde+ Afrique s'intéresse à l'homosexualité". Yagg (in French).
  5. ↑ AJL (13 October 2016). "Transphobie dans les médias : fini de rire !". Pure Médias (in French).
  6. ↑ Romain Cheyron (5 October 2016). ""Le Grand Journal" : nouveau malaise après les blagues sexistes et homophobes de l'humoriste Lamine Lezghad". LCI (in French).
  7. ↑ "Pourquoi les médias ont-ils si peur de l'"homophobie" ?" (in French). 30 June 2016..
  8. ↑ Prenons la une et l’Association des journalistes LGBT (14 February 2019). "" La Ligue du LOL n'a rien d'une exception "". Le Monde (in French).
  9. ↑ Virginie Ballet (3 March 2017). "Elle et "Louis(e)"". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  10. ↑ "Discrimination, prejudice and the role of social media in the age of gay marriage". media.journalismfestival.com. 19 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "L'AJL au Festival international du Journalisme de Pérouse". ajlgbt.info (in French). 26 April 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  12. ↑ "Des rédactions à l'image de la société ?". journalisme.com/ (in French). 9 March 2016. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  13. ↑ Lauriane Sandrini (9 March 2016). "4 questions à Florian Bardou". Les Assises du Journalisme 2016 (in French)..
  14. ↑ "Alice Coffin". Le Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  15. ↑ Lesage, Nelly (17 May 2017). "L'Association des journalistes LGBT prépare sa cérémonie des " Out d'Or " - Pop culture - Numerama". Numerama (in French). Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  16. ↑ RTL et AFP (2 February 2014). "Manif pour tous du 2 février : de 80.000 à 500.000 manifestants à Paris". RTL.
  17. ↑ Alexandre Piquard (30 January 2014). "Manif pour tous : les "conseils" de l'association des journalistes LGBT". Medialand sur le Monde (in French). Archived from the original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2020..
  18. ↑ "OÜI FM, signataire de la charte "Médias contre l'homophobie"" (in French). 15 May 2015.
  19. ↑ Léa Baron et Sylvie Braibant (23 November 2016). "#25novembre : mettre les mots justes sur les violences faites aux femmes". TV5 Monde (in French)..
  20. ↑ ""Des quotidiens, des radios et des sites signent une charte contre l'homophobie"" (in French). 14 May 2015.
  21. ↑ Clio Weickert (14 December 2016). """ Touche pas à mon poste " : Cyril Hanouna " est un obsédé de l'homosexualité " selon l'Association des journalistes LGBT"". 20 Minutes (in French).
  22. ↑ "Homophobie. Une association LGBT épingle "Touche pas à mon poste "". ouest-france.fr. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  23. ↑ Sam Damshenas (21 May 2017). "French presenter humiliates gay men live on TV with fake online profile". Gay Times. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2020..
  24. ↑ Jordan Grevet (5 January 2017). "Comment "TPMP" cherche à calmer les accusations d'homophobie". Closer (in French).
  25. ↑ Clea Broadhurst (28 May 2017). "Cyril Hanouna's prank distressing LGBT community". RFI.
  26. ↑ "TPMP, chronique quotidienne de l'homophobie ordinaire". BuzzFeed (in French). 19 May 2017.
  27. ↑ Yassine El Azzaz (20 December 2017). "L'Association des journalistes LGBT traque les propos discriminatoires dans les talk-shows". Le Monde (in French).
  28. ↑ Thierry Wojciak (20 December 2017). "L'AJL pointe le sexisme, l'homophobie et le racisme dans 5 émissions TV". CBS News (in French).
  29. ↑ Europe 1 avec AFP (20 December 2017). "Les journalistes LGBT dénoncent "un mois de sexisme, d'homophobie et de racisme" à la télévision". Europe 1 (in French).
  30. ↑ Jordan Grevet (20 December 2017). "De Salut les Terriens à Quotidien, un mois d'homophobie et de sexisme ordinaire à la télé". Télé Star (in French).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.