A Deep Dive into the History of the LGBTQ+ Community in the French Riviera

There is something intrinsically unique about the French Riviera in France that continues to attract people from around the world. For those of us in the LGBTQ+ community living here, an individual feels encouraged to evolve and live your best life while having a sense of freedom.

Historically the region had been known mainly for its agricultural aspects such as land used for olive groves and varying fruit orchards. With the Mediterranean Sea lapping at its shores, the fishing industry became important as another source of food at local markets and restaurants for generations up to this day.

It wasn’t really until the first foreign residents, that being the English for the most part, started to visit the region in the late 18th century to spend the winter months due in part to the sunny climate. With this thinking behind the new influx of people, winter resorts were developed for visitors based on the idea of the natural wellness healing properties of the sun, sea, and fresh air. 

This was followed by the rhythmic sounds of jazz music, introduced by African-American soldiers to the French when they were stationed in France during World War I. Not long after in the 1920s, these energizing beats were attracting musicians from around the world, along with artists and writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald who coined this era, the “jazz age” where the music was played at every corner cafe, restaurant, burgeoning nightclub scene and grand hotels up and down the coastline.

Unintentionally, a subtle sexual revolution began to form in the Cote d’Azur as this part of France was becoming known for acceptance in the country as it continued to encourage others to live here not only because of the beautiful surroundings but also because of the notion of an uninhibited lifestyle in a welcoming environment.

One of the most recognizable people from the gay community who gravitated this way in 1921 was Jean Cocteau, the artist, writer, and filmmaker, joined later by his muse, the devilishly handsome Jean Marais, both of whom were lovers from 1937 to 1947.

After that relationship ended, Jean Cocteau introduced people to one of his next lovers, Edouard Dermit (aka Doudou), otherwise known as his “adopted son”, both of whom attended a party one night through an invite from the socialite Francine Weisweiller who owned Villa Santo Sospir located near the lighthouse at the tip of the Saint Jean Cap Ferrat peninsula.

The couple soon after stayed in Villa Santo Sospir off and on for just over a decade, taking over the ground level of the property leading out onto the garden. Finding the blank, white walls inside the villa off-putting, Cocteau painted his artwork (not frescos but tattoos he claimed) throughout the home (leaving the doors for Picasso) while also continuing to take photos and producing short films in the area.

Together, Jean and Francine cultivated a varied collection of artists and notables such as Coco Chanel, Marlene Dietrich, and Yves Saint Laurent to name a few. It is here where both he and Francine offered an unspoken, open-door policy, no matter the sexuality in which a nurtured, creative community could grow with those lingering aspects slowly beginning to spread throughout the French Riviera.

As time moved forward, it was during the 1960s that gathering opportunities at already established restaurants and nightclubs would discreetly on occasion open their doors by becoming LGBTQ-friendly, albeit many of these events were rare and still in the underground stage.

With the French Riviera population continuing to rise due to an increase in tourism and expats moving here, it was during the hedonistic 1970s that small LGBTQ+ communities started to congregate more than ever.

The city of Cannes, known for not only the famous Film Festival to this day as a prime destination for congresses throughout the year, gave it more of a reason for there to be not only bars and nightclubs for the heterosexual crowd but sometimes smaller venues would host evenings just for lesbians at a bar, or a cabaret club would hold drag queen nights smattered with lots glitz and glam.

In speaking with Jean Louis Longo, owner of the longstanding Morgan Cruising Bar in Nice that has been in operation since 1993, and who is also the President and Organizer of Lou Queernaval, along with being the Vice President of Administration at the Centre LGBTQIA+ Cote d’Azur. Told me that from 1974 to the early 80s, many people back then would go to Cannes to visit places such as Zanzibar and Crazy Boy because of the range of lively venues as there seemed to be more of a gay presence there over Nice at the time.

Though in the city of Nice during the 70s, it was the restaurants such as Le Chat Noir in Vieux Nice that held strong as an “in the know” hot spot for at least a decade. Also, the restaurant, Le Caveau du Jésus was popular with gay tourists visiting the city and was named as such before the war as "les jésus" was the name given to young gays still unaccustomed to male encounters. There was also a cubby hole-style bar at this time, Chez Robert, on Rue de la Boucherie where people would socialize and on Rue St François de Paule there was a traditional gay bar.

By day, peering above Nice is Parc du Château, which was then known as a gay cruising location, and by night men would meet in Jardin Albert 1er in the center of the city, which seemed to be a cruising zone for decades afterward due to the extensive growth of the gardens and the park being discriminately lit during the evening. Tourists and locals also tended to meet someone during an evening walk along the Promenade des Anglais, and then discreetly head down onto the beach for some action. 

With Nice still being the city of cultures, it was here in the 1980s that things began to take off as the entrepreneurial Jean Louis took it upon himself in 1981 to open a small gay bar in Vieux Nice on rue de la Poissonnerie by the name of Henry III followed by Le Elevator in 1982 near the Port of Nice where Eagle Cruising Bar eventually took its place. There was also the introduction of a popular nightclub in 1982 by the name of Blue Boy that had the occasional foam parties and drag shows.

In the Liberation district of the city, a little restaurant on Rue Veillon by the name of Chez Marc et André was a prime meeting point, followed by the Road House Cafe which was both a pub and private club along with Le Mississipi on the Promenade des Anglais.

In the Port of Nice, there was Le Nautique Club, Quartz, and Rusca, with the Factory Club with X Club being the after-hours place to be, and Blue Sea for the mainly lesbian crowd. At this time, numerous other LGBTQ venues also popped up and faded away from the city.

 

What was considered one of the most important venues at that time was Le Grand Escurial, a former theater, and one-time cinema later transformed into a large nightclub with high ceilings and columns all designed in an art-deco style utilizing many of the original, historic aspects of the building. Le Grand Escurial attracted everyone, no matter their sexuality, but it was highly regarded as a gay club.

Cannes still had its hand in the game with Le Club 06 and Cat Corner, but like the fashion trends of the 80s, their time was sadly slowly fading out with now less than a handful of gay-friendly businesses in place.

Pre-Internet, as a tourist back then, you had to pick up a European gay travel book before arriving, and you had to do the legwork to see if an establishment was still in business and approach people if you wanted to visit any of these venues by speaking to the hotel clerks, waiters at restaurants, shop clerks, and anyone who could give you some insight on what to see and do.

One loophole for some of these establishments to open and act as businesses while still attracting those from the LGBTQ+ community was to have it stated on the signage at the door (and with permits) that it was a private club, then this way owners and management could discriminately choose who they would allow entrance into their establishment, also for safety and security reasons.

This also meant that the mandatory entrance fee to get inside a club could range in rates from 20 Francs to 100 Francs or more (before the Euro became the currency), depending on the time of year and night of the week, with the entrance fees typically being much higher during the summer months. It was considered by the city to obtain a permit as the cost of opening and owning a “private club” establishment back then, which could be quite expensive for both owners and patrons, for all those involved, you would still be taking your chances on whether or not the club was going to be busy that night.

As local individuals began to show strength in numbers more openly in the community, along with word getting out by gay tourists who had visited the French Riviera, LGBTQ-owned establishments started to take shape more to the forefront and in a much stronger public stance.

When the AIDS crisis hit, small charitable associations were set up. Formed as a way of contributing to the fight against AIDS with information pamphlets, while noting supportive establishments, fundraisers, and protest events which led to more associations developing than ever before, working together in the overall fight against discrimination, prejudice, and equality for all.

The social scene continued to change in Nice from the 80s and well into the end of the 1990s, and as in any city, a few gay businesses did open but didn’t last long such as Le Fard on the Promenade des Anglais which did manage to stay open for at least a few years.

The original big nightclub in the city, Le Grand Escurial had changed ownership and became known as Offshore and as of today, the property is now a large Lidl grocery store. 

In the pedestrian zone near the beach in Nice was a nightclub that was a massive hit in the 90s by the name of Le Klub which from personal experience seemed to be a 50/50 mix of gay and straight, soon the owners took notice of the gay community in attendance and would make a Friday and/or Saturday night gay-only and it was strictly monitored as such to get inside.

Le Klub grew so strong in popularity, that Jean Louis mentioned it ended up taking away business and closing down many other venues both gay and straight in the surrounding area.

Eventually, the three managers of Le Klub left and opened their nightclub by the name of Le Flag which was later renamed to Le Glam and is still a prime nightclub in Nice to this day. The other establishments that were and are still in existence are Le Couloir, Morgan Cruising Bar, Le 6 Bar, Le Glam.

As of the mid-90s into the early 2000s, it was now easier to find a range of LGBTQ establishments with more gay-owned clothing shops, bars, restaurants, cafes, sex shops, and bathhouses such as Le Block, Le Cercle, and Les Bains Douches, and cruising bars like Le Traxx, and X-Cube. Some of these businesses are still open, and some are closed.

 

To this day a myriad of businesses continue to open or change hands while those still established continue to grow and thrive. It is one of the many reasons people in the LGBTQ+ community come here, not only to feel like they are living the laid-back French Riviera lifestyle but also for the opportunity to meet the locals and feel more at home in a place of like-minded people.

 

In Nice, the Centre LGBTQIA+ Cote d’Azur was established in 2005, and inaugurated on May 16, 2011. The center is open to anyone and today has 20 associations. It is still the only LGBTQIA+ Centre in the region, along with the city of Marseille which just opened a new, larger center.

Today, the whole of the Cote d’Azur is a safe zone with one of the biggest LGBTQIA+ scenes outside of Paris and with the ongoing support of both the local and national governments in France along with all the major tourism outlets on board.

The French Riviera has evolved into a prime international travel destination that entices people from around the world to explore and experience a variety of interests beyond all the bars and nightclubs, whether it be hiking the mountains to enjoy a breathtaking panoramic sea vista, or swimming in the clear blue Mediterranean Sea at any number of beaches along the coastline.

One can charter a yacht or book a fantastic villa rental with a group of friends, go on designer shopping excursions in places such as Saint Tropez, Cannes, and Nice, and venture into Monaco. Take French with lessons at internationally recognized certified schools, and French cuisine classes or even partake in art classes at famous locations where painters such as Picasso, Cocteau, and Matisse have lived or worked.

There is also a solid entrepreneurial spirit here, making it excellent for networking and building a business. Whatever your interests are can become a reality as are the endless possibilities that have made the French Riviera continue to thrive.

In the Cote d’Azur, we tend to refer to living here as “the life” and for good reason.