A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #367 - Anti-patriarchy - Homophobia: Educating and Preventing Violence Among Young People (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Two young lesbians assaulted in public: these incidents are 
unfortunately not isolated, but stand out both for the age of the 
perpetrators and for their violence: teenagers beating others because 
they were holding hands. One of the victims was given three days of 
total incapacity for work, not to mention the psychological trauma that 
homophobic and LGBTIphobic acts inflict on the development of LGBTI 
minors. Three of the assailants appeared before the juvenile court on 
December 18th for aggravated assault committed as a group and for 
homophobic aggression.

On November 19, 2025, two minors were victims of a homophobic attack in 
a supermarket in Clermont-Ferrand, perpetrated by four other young 
people. This event, far from being anecdotal, raises the alarm about the 
ever-increasing violence against LGBTI people, particularly among young 
people. How can we understand the rise in homophobic violence among 
youth, and how can we combat it?

While the justice system has taken up the case, this cannot in any way 
be a sufficient response to our libertarian ideals. Indeed, the 
reactionary right is always lying in wait to increase the burden on 
juvenile justice and bring it in line with that of adults. Since 1945, 
the law has established the primacy of education over punishment with 
regard to children. But, in early 2025, Gabriel Attal succeeded in 
passing a law allowing for immediate court appearances for minors, and 
also lifting the "excuse of minority"[1]in certain situations. What can 
be said of a society that has only repression as a response to the 
violence of its youth?

Resurgence of homophobic violence
A rally in support of the victims, denouncing anti-LGBTI discrimination 
and violence, was held on November 30, 2025, at the call of QUEER 
Auvergne and K6tem (a feminist collective). Their call sadly resonates 
with the local reality of increasing homophobic violence: "[...]We are 
rising up for the survivors, for our communities, for those who are 
never protected. We will not forget Caroline Grandjean, who died by 
suicide in September, an indirect victim of a system that allows hatred 
to flourish. Her memory compels us to act."

In a region already marked by the death of Caroline Grandjean this 
fall[2]and by transphobic discrimination committed a few days 
earlier[3], the rally in support of the two victims, initially planned 
as a march from another square in the city, was nevertheless prevented 
and relocated by the prefecture. Once again, invisibility is the state's 
weapon against the struggles for LGBTI rights.

The EVARS Law: When Prevention Isn't Implemented
Yet grassroots organizations have been tirelessly raising the alarm 
about the escalating violence against LGBTI people. The 2025 report by 
SOS Homophobie[4]indicates, for example, that 35% of LGBTIphobic 
incidents involve insults and 11% involve physical assaults. 10% of 
these assaults target minors, and 3% result in the victims' deaths. The 
rate of physical assaults rises to 14% when focusing specifically on 
lesbophobic violence, and the number of minor victims also increases. 
This same report reveals that men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators of 
LGBTIphobic violence committed in public spaces.

So how can we prevent this violence? The answer lies partly in education 
and prevention. It's not about choosing a punitive system in which we 
lock up minors. It's more about defending an education in which everyone 
is represented, in order to prevent the hatred and rejection at work 
behind LGBTIphobic rhetoric.

Mixed-gender groups constituted 28% of the perpetrators of lesbophobic 
attacks reported to SOS Homophobie in 2024.

In December 2025, France was condemned by the European Court for failing 
to implement the law on education in emotional and relational life and 
sexuality (EVARS). Since its enactment in 2001, the EVARS law has been 
attacked head-on by the reactionary right and all the offshoots of the 
Manif pour tous (Demonstration for All): disinformation campaigns, 
harassment of teachers, coordinated digital attacks-nothing has been 
left to chance. Faced with homophobia, the State has never had the 
courage to enforce its own law and only 15% of students have had access 
to these teachings[5].

The state's conviction following the complaint filed by SOS Homophobie, 
the French Family Planning Association (Planning familial), and 
Sidaction represents a first victory for prevention organizations that 
support the implementation of the law within the national education 
system. The EVARS program aims, using age-appropriate language, to 
instill the concepts of consent, respect, and rights; it helps combat 
discrimination, raise awareness of stereotypes, particularly gender 
stereotypes, and prevent sexual violence and harassment. For older 
students, it also aims to impart knowledge about sexual health, 
including contraception and the prevention of STIs.

However, its implementation, which includes three sessions per year 
throughout schooling, is once again under attack in 2025: major 
advancements in the new program were expected but have ultimately been 
postponed due to reactionary pressures. For example, consent, which was 
to be addressed as early as preschool in the initial draft, will now 
only be introduced in the third grade (CE2). Same-sex parenting has been 
removed from the curriculum, and the diversity of relationship and 
romantic patterns has been removed from primary schools, as has the 
diversity related to gender identities. While 40% of sexual violence 
against minors occurs before the age of 11, its prevention is also being 
postponed until the 8th grade.

This lack of political will is all the more alarming given that 
specialized services are increasingly excluded from school 
interventions. Basta! has revealed, as we write this article, the 
exclusion of the Grenoble Family Planning Association from the city's 
schools[6].

How, in a context where violence is increasing and minors are 
increasingly exposed to it, can we be satisfied with half-measures that 
prioritize alliances of interest with reactionary movements rather than 
the rights and respect of all? Faced with a failing state and escalating 
violence, it falls once again to our LGBTI communities to care for the 
youngest among us and to educate the rest of society. We are strong, 
yes, but still alone in this fight.

Ness (UCL Marseille)

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[1]The "excuse of minority" is a legal principle implying severity and 
reduced sentences for minors.

[2]See the article "Caroline Grandjean's Suicide: The National Education 
System Claims Another Victim," Alternative libertaire no. 364, October 2025.

[3]Georges-André, "Discrimination and Transphobia in a Nightclub Near 
Clermont-Ferrand," Le Club Médiapart, November 18, 2025.

[4]"Report on LGBTIphobia 2025," SOS Homophobie. 2025 report based on 
statistical data compiled in 2024.

[5]IGESR report, 2021.

[6]Tiphaine Guéret, "Evars Program: Family Planning Quietly Excluded 
from Schools," Basta!, December 11, 2025.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Homophobie-Eduquer-et-prevenir-dans-la-jeunesse
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