Friday night fever
It’s Friday night and some lucky girl is having a date with that guy I passed on the pavement on the way home. I was engulfed in a cloud of cheap but potent aftershave – I guess it is a way to sweep a girl off her feet.

It’s Friday night and tonight for the first time ever on prime time teevee, a French channel is showing a programme on ‘Gay culture’. Not surprisingly gay matters are still carefully kept under the rug in France, so tonight is a big night. It’s not that French people don’t know that there is such a thing as homosexuals - Queer as folk was shown on a cable channel and caused many letters of complaints from outraged viewers. We have our fair share of faggot jokes. In a country where racism and anti-semitism are severely reproved, it’s still ok to make sexist or homophobic comments.
But, but, I am told, mentalities are evolving – meaning that now we’re moving from gay invisibility into the realm of condescending voyeurism. What’s planned for tonight- the usual clichés about party people, pop and poppers. Wait, not popper, that’s too rude. A safe display of campness for the average viewer. Be gay but keep it pretty – and of course, no mention of sex. That’s just wrong.
I guess it’s a start.
What’s more, a gay channel is about to kick off in a few weeks – christened, originally enough- Pink TV. (It’s so much cooler than télévision rose.) It will offer a French rip-off of An eye for a queer guy and regular soft porn flicks.

As always, I can’t help but wonder – what about the girls?
Wait, it’s France.
Oh, right.