How can we tolerate openly “transphobic”
advertising
in Paris? This is the question raised by an Internet user on the X platform, accompanied by a photo of an advertising billboard in the capital, promoting the work
Transmania
,
by authors Marguerite Stern and Dora Moutot, two feminist activists have become known for their repeated critiques of gender transitions.
The reaction was not long in coming from the Paris town hall, which denounced this Wednesday, through its first deputy, the promotion of a book propagating
“hate speech”
against transgender people.
“Transphobia is a crime. Hatred of others has no place in our city
,” Emmanuel Grégoire wrote on X, asking JCDecaux
to “withdraw this advertisement
. ”
Anne Hidalgo's right-hand man, however, clarified that he was not judging the book itself, but rather the hook used on the advertising poster. On the poster in question, the book is presented as an
“investigation into the abuses of transgender identity”
which
“infiltrates all spheres of society”
. Emmanuel Grégoire said he was
“very shocked”
for three reasons:
“Because it is transphobic, conspiratorial and above all, how could this poster have been authorized in public spaces, bypassing the controls of the advertising agency?”
"Censorship"
Contacted Wednesday afternoon by AFP, JCDecaux said it had already
“removed the posters”
because of
“the comments conveyed on the visual, on which the City of Paris has also questioned us.”
The visual
“is also contrary to our charter of ethics for external communication”
, adds the group, which presents its
“apologies”
to the people
“whom these posters may have offended”
.
In reaction, Dora Moutot immediately denounced
“an act of censorship based on assumptions rather than an analysis of the content”
, as well as an
“obscurantism which seeks to muzzle all critical thought”
. For Marguerite Stern, Mr. Grégoire
“does not know what he is doing”
but acted under pressure from
“15 trans associations”
fans of
“harassment”
and
“threats”
.