When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Geopolitics

French Anti-Gay Marriage Activist Commits Suicide In Notre Dame

LE MONDE, LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR, EUROPE 1(France)

Worldcrunch

PARIS – The Notre Dame Cathedral was evacuated on Tuesday after a man committed suicide in front of the altar. The man was soon afterward identified as Dominique Venner, essayist, historian and far-right militant with close ties to the anti-gay marriage movement, reports Le Nouvel Observateur.

[rebelmouse-image 27086834 alt="""" original_size="171x170" expand=1]

Photo: Dominique Venner's blog

Venner, 78, went to the altar, and without a word, shot himself in the mouth, reports Le Monde. The building was evacuated.

Venner spent 18 months in prison in 1961 for being a former member of the OAS Organization of the Secret Army, a paramilitary organization during the Algerian War that was opposed to the Algerian independence.

Most recently, he voiced his opposition to the gay-marriage bill that was enacted last week in France. In his last blog post, he wrote about the anti-gay marriage protest that will be held on May 26:

“The May 26 protesters are right to scream their impatience and their anger. A despicable law, once it has been voted, can always be repealed.

Organizing nice little street protests isn’t enough.

There needs to be new – spectacular and symbolical – actions to shake people out of their torpor, wake up these anesthetized consciences and wake up the memory of our origin. We are entering an era where words must be authenticated by actions.”

According to the Europe 1 radio station, a letter was found near Venner’s body.

PHOTO Suicide à Notre-Dame, la police a fait évacuer la cathédrale par @jssinfotwitter.com/Europe1/status…

— Europe 1(@Europe1) May 21, 2013

Suicide in Notre-Dame, police evacuated the cathedral

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

LGBTQ Plus

My Wife, My Boyfriend — And Grandkids: A Careful Coming Out For China's Gay Seniors

A series of interviews in Wuhan with aging gay men — all currently or formerly married to women — reveals a hidden story of how Chinese LGBTQ culture is gradually emerging from the shadows.

Image of two senior men playing chinese Checkers.

A friendly game of Checkers in Dongcheng, Beijing, China.

Wang Er

WUHAN — " What do you think of that guy sitting there, across from us? He's good looking."

" Then you should go and talk to him."

“ Too bad that I am old..."

Grandpa Shen was born in 1933. He says that for the past 40 years, he's been "repackaged," a Chinese expression for having come out as gay. Before his wife died when he was 50, Grandpa Shen says he was was a "standard" straight Chinese man. After serving in the army, he began working in a factory, and dated many women and evenutually got married.

"Becoming gay is nothing special, I found it very natural." Grandpa Shen says he discovered his homosexuality at the Martyrs' Square in Wuhan, a well-known gay men's gathering place.

✉️ You can receive our LGBTQ+ International roundup every week directly in your inbox. Subscribe here.

Wuhan used to have different such ways for LGBTQ+ to meet: newspaper columns, riversides, public toilets, bridges and baths to name but a few. With urbanization, many of these locations have disappeared. The transformation of Martyrs' Square into a park has gradually become a place frequented by middle-aged and older gay people in Wuhan, where they play cards and chat and make friends. There are also "comrades" (Chinese slang for gay) from outside the city who come to visit.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

The latest