The French Minister for Justice has grown in populairty since the first parliamentary debate on gay marriage on January 29.  Those in political circles have congratulated her hard work and tough stance, but her speeches have also lead to a wave of Taubiramania amongst followers on the web.

Christiane Taubira has been a hit with gay men, lesbians, and everybody supporting marriage equality in France, but her star has really risen online after her performance during the debates on the new law.  A campaign has begun to collect donations to send her a bouquet of roses for Valentine’s Day next week to say thank you for her eloquent speech.

But the Minister is so popular that money has poured in and there’s now more than 9000 euros in the kitty.  Organisers have had to come up with a new plan: once the roses are paid for, the rest will go to two charities, SOS Homophobia and Refuge, which takes care of young people excluded from the family because of the sexual orientation or gender identity.

Elsewhere, the gay and lesbian site Yagg is selling #TeamTaubira t-shirts for €15, using the hash-tag that her fans used while following the debates on Twitter.  There’s also a Tumblr dedicated to her appearances in Parliament, some of which have been immortalised as GIFs.

The final vote on the law is due to take place on Tuesday, but in the meantime, My Gay Paris would like to share some of the Minister’s proudest moments over the past two weeks.

This first video includes Christiane Taubira opening the debate on the proposed law to allow marriage between people of the same sex. (You can activate the translation subtitles in English with YouTube)

The second shows her exploding with laughter at the end of a long day as she replies to accusations from a fellow politician, Philippe Gosselin, who she accused of trying to break the law down into ‘tiny pieces’.  Her rival used a rather provocative gesture to describe the size of the pieces she was talking about—leaving Christine Taubira to return to her seat with tears in her eyes.

Lovers of electronic music, go Thursday, February 21, 2013 at the Grand Palais (Metro Champs-Elysées) for FG DJ Radio, the best clubbing night of the year!

Several international stars will be present as live TABOO from Black Eyed Peas, Pete Tong, resident DJ of Ministry of Sound, the Dutch superstar DJ Sander VAN DOORN, the DJ / producer BASTO Belgian, a renowned stage House / Dance and Benny BENASSI, the DJ / producer mega-star who has worked with many great artists, including Madonna on her latest album “MDNA”.

The resident DJs of Ministry Of Sound, London legendary club known worldwide, provide the final of this exceptional evening.

To celebrate this event, our partner Absolu Living, offer a 15% discount for stays of 3 nights over the period from 18 to 28 February 2013 in one of our apartments.

To take advantage of this offer simply send us a request on the website
http://www.absoluliving.com/gay-hotel-paris/gay-furnished-apartments.html
by entering the keyword “CLUBBING” in your reservation request!

The tickets to this event are on sale exclusively on www.radiofg.com

Several NGOs, including the main LGBT associations in Paris, have invited the gay community and their friends to join a demonstration in favour of gay marriage in France on Sunday 16 December.

My Gay Paris will be there to defend equal rights for everybody.

Although the current government is in favour of marriage and adoption for gay couples, several anti-marriage groups have organised demonstrations and have been making a lot of noise. Protests from Civitas and the Archbishop of Paris, André Vingt-Trois are often heavy with homophobic language.  Both the Catholic Church and the outgoing administration are also against gay marriage and have called for protests against the current proposals.

At the same time, dozens of high-profile supporters have come out in favour of gay marriage.  Gay icon and French singer Mylene Farmer was the latest to say that she’s in favour of equality for all, joining several fellow celebrities in signing an open letter published in French newspaper Le Monde.

Commercial organisations are also getting behind the protest, with American Apparel promising to give demonstrators free t-shirts.

Currently, surveys show that a majority of French people are in favour of the government’s proposals, but a growing hostility towards gay people has been recorded in a number of French towns.

The demonstration kicks off on December 16 at 2 pm at the Bastille.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Today we focus on one brand of clothing which works for one of our clients. My Gay Paris likes this style. The new collection SPRING/SUMMER 2013 was recently presented.

Alexandre Plokhov is wearing all black, with oddly tailored pants, an off-kilter leather vest and a Danzig hooded sweatshirt. It is likely he is the weirdest dresser to own a cashmere Versace suit, given to him as a gift when he was menswear consultant at the Italian fashion house. Before Versace, he was one-half of the game-changing duo Cloak, creating, with Robert Geller, beautifully draped men’s clothing of soft leather and stiff denim until disbanding in 2007.

For more information :

CONTACT: jojo@alexandre-plokhov.com

WEBSITE: http://alexandre-plokhov.com

FACEBOOK page : https://www.facebook.com/AlexandrePlokhov

 This weekend Mylene Farmer is going to be everywhere: the video for new song ‘À L’ombre’ (‘In The Shadows’) will be shown on France’s biggest channel, TF1, this Saturday in primetime!  It’s the first time that a French artist will enjoy such a high-profile showcase.  She has a big TV interview on Sunday, before the album itself goes on sale on Monday, giving fans a chance to buy 14 new tracks written by collaborator Laurent Boutonnat!

 The ‘Timeless 2013’ tour will start at Bercy with a residence from 7-18 September 2013, followed by a national and international tour.

Ticket prices go up to €140 and it’s set to be a show-stopping night!