Lyon, France, is most famous for its gastronomy. Lyon’s foodie fame is well-deserved; the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, which includes Lyon, is a major agricultural producer and esteemed wine region. There are over 80 Michelin-star restaurants in and around Lyon.
What is less well known is Lyon’s status as a vibrant queer community, with many shops and activities just for us. Lyon is so LGBTQ-friendly that it topped Mr. Travel’s list of LGBTQ-friendly cities in 2022, beating out Paris. Next year, Lyon will host the Eurogames, a multi-day sports competition centering diversity and inclusion.
Discovering this fact while I planned a 10th-anniversary vacation to France gave me the permission I was seeking to explore Lyon as my unapologetic, gender-nonconforming self rather than taking the more cautious approach of hoping to blend in with the crowd.
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Since 2018, Lyon has been home to the Intérieur Queer Festival, a celebration of queer culture and art developed by Arty Farty and Marseille-based queer collective Plus Belle La Nuit. Intérieur Queer boldly mixes art with politics and progressive values in a mix of free and paid programming. Think Pride comedy hours, drag balls, dance parties, and conferences that explore ways to create safe, sober-friendly queer events.
Every March, Lyon hosts the Ecrans Mixtes Festival, a 12-day celebration of arthouse and indie films by gay icons like John Waters and Gregg Araki.
Lyon will soon be home to the House of Diversity — not a drag collective but an LGBTQ+ retirement home set to open later this year. The forthcoming Maison de la Diversité will provide a safe and affirming home for 12 gay elders, who won’t have to choose between their safety and identity. The organization behind the Maison de la Diversité hopes to take the model national over the next decade, providing this growing demographic with a space to be their whole selves as they age. That they’ve chosen Lyon to kick things off speaks volumes for the inclusiveness of France’s third-largest city.
Lyon’s LGBTQ-friendly businesses are found in several neighborhoods, including the Croix-Rousse hill and the 1st arrondissement, near the Hotel de Ville and Opera House. The city is so small and walkable—although public transit does exist—that you can easily roam from neighborhood to neighborhood on your rainbow crawl of Lyon.
LGBTQ Community
Centre LGBTQI+ Lyon
Centre LGBTI+ Lyon
Community hub 19 Rue des Capucins · Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 69001(080) 503-1181
Website
Lyon’s LGBTQ+ Center offers a range of events open to anyone in the community, from weekly queer tango sessions to Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings. There are even English-speaking volunteers, so don’t hesitate to stop while you’re in town!
Librairie à Soi(e)
Librairie à soi.e
silky sapphics 16 Rue Pizay · Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 69001(047) 829-0134
Website
If your idea of a cute queer vacation includes diving into feminist, queer literature while surrounded by like-minded sapphics and enbies, head to this woman-owned bookstore, which sells only books by women and queer authors. The bookstore’s name is a nod to Lyon’s historical importance as a silk weaving community; “soie” is French for silk.
Bars
Le Broc Bar
Open from the early morning, when it draws a cafe crowd, until the wee hours, Le Broc Bar’s outdoor terrace is the place to people-watch in queer Lyon.
XS Bar
This pint-sized gay bar is a favorite of the bear community (or “les ours” in French), and it hosts a dedicated weekly bear party.
L Bar food & drink
L Bar food & drink
good food and good times 19 Rue du Garet · Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 69001(047) 827-8318
Website
As the name hints, the crowd at this woman-owned queer bar is majority female. L bar serves small plates and drinks, focusing on inventive cocktails and shooters. The owners work hard to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere that’s both a safe space for women and inclusive of all LGBTQ+ folks.
United Café
United Café
longtime local fave Impasse de la Pêcherie · Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 69001(047) 829-9318
Website
Lyon’s oldest remaining gay bar throws a different party every night – which means there’s somewhere queer for you to go no matter which night you’re in town! Whether you’re into dance, drag, or belting out karaoke, head to United Café, which tends to be popular with the large student population, to mingle with a majority queer crowd.
Nightlife
Queen Club
Thursday night techno parties at Queen Club celebrate the diversity of our queer community with a strict no-tolerance policy for homophobia, transphobia, racism, and misogyny. The LGBTQ-friendly dance party starts at 11 pm and goes all night long.
Garçon Sauvage
Part electronic dance party, part drag show, Garçon Sauvage events are so popular that they often sell out—and the party has expanded beyond Lyon to gay Paris. Buy tickets early to see what the fun is all about. These all-orientation, all-gender dance parties are usually held at the Le Sucre nightclub, with all information and links to ticketing on Garçon Sauvage’s Instagram.
Lindsey Danis is a queer, gender-expansive travel writer who is writing a book about queer travel that centers queer female and nonbinary perspectives. Lindsey unpacks LGBTQ+ travel trends and shares inspiration at QueerAdventurers.com.
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