First female political minister comes out as lesbian in France
A female politician in France has become the first minister to come out as lesbian after revealing her sexuality in an interview.
The youngest serving political minister, Sarah El Haïry, for the Democratic Movement revealed she is a lesbian and is dating someone.
The 33-year-old state secretary for youth at the Ministry of National Education casually mentioned her partner while discussing whether she uses Twitter.
In a recent interview with Forbes, the government’s youngest member responded to the question without hesitation saying she only ever reads Twitter when it affects her girlfriend or her family members.
The mention of her partner solidified Sarah El Haïry in the history books, becoming the first female minister in France to identify as part of the LGBTQ community.
Since being appointed youth secretary of state, the government minister has been outspoken regarding both women’s and LGBTQ rights and second nature in her comments.
She has previously called out discrimination against LGBTQ groups in France, saying that promoting LGBTQ rights is a “daily fight”.
Sarah El Haïry’s announcement, which the Forbes interview described as “discreet”, came not long after a similar reveal from former National Assembly of France member, Olivier Dussopt.
In an interview with the French magazine Têtu on March 24th, Olivier Dussopt said that his sexuality was “neither a secret nor a subject” while condemning homophobic attacks in France.
“Being homosexual is never neutral,” he said during the interview. “But one has the right to defend causes, to militate, to participate in the debate without making one’s personal situation a political element in itself.”
He added that, while this was his first time coming out, he has been outspoken for same-sex marriage and LGBTQ autonomy in the past.
Despite France’s current government in support of LGBTQ rights, the rise of the far-right in the country following the 2022 presidential election has caused concern.
Emmanual Macron defeated far-right rival Marine Le Pen in the 2022 presidential race, gaining a slim 58 percent of the vote compared to Le Pen’s 41.46 percent.
Although much more work needs to be done, France is still overall a very safe, and gay-friendly country to visit.
