When we met Éric and Cyrille, they were heading towards the 4th arrondissement, which some Paris connoisseurs call the “real Marais”. Dressed all in leather, this couple with laughing eyes was walking towards their workplace. But Eric and Cyrille took the time to stop and talk about the Marais which, “while it remains a pleasant neighborhood, is no longer what it used to be.”
For them who lived in Paris for thirty years before leaving the capital (but return regularly), the Marais would be losing its soul with the disappearance of mythical places like the incredible bookstore Words in the mouth (which moved in 2020 to the 11th), the Central, a mecca of LGBT culture for three decades, the Swing, etc.
“There are fewer and fewer pioneering and militant places here which have been the scene of advances like the PACS and marriage for all, for which we fought,” say the two lovers in one voice. They continue: “In addition, financial aid for our community is shrinking. What happens in Paris is what happened in New York with Christopher Street, in Manhattan's Greenwich Village: gays invent places that are the soul of the neighborhood when they settle there... then, they are thrown out,” insists Eric, suddenly serious.
And then, there they are, heading off for a shoot organized by their own communications agency which works, in part, for an LGBTQ clientele.
Project Manager
Pants and bibs – RoB Amsterdam
Jacket - Langlitz leathers
Boots and gloves – Dehner
ERIC
Creative
Pants and bibs – MisterB
Jacket - Langlitz leathers
Boots and gloves – Dehner
Bag – Prada
Text and photos: Katia Barillot
15.04.22
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