Geneva, Lausanne: the lake is on fire!

Jan. 17 2014

by Frédéric Maurice / TÊTU

Home of chocolate, luxury watches and banking secrecy, Switzerland, at least in its French-speaking part, is not known as a gay spot. In fact, one wonders if they don't confiscate their gaydar when they arrive in Geneva. There are few eccentric looks, insistent looks or open flirting. Could it be that the Swiss in French-speaking Switzerland are all straight?

A weekend on the shores of Lake Geneva is enough to convince you otherwise. in Geneva and Lausanne, rainbow flags are displayed without any complex. The two lakeside cities can even boast of gay neighborhoods like no other French city of the same size. in Geneva, it is called Les Pâquis. Between the train station and the lake, a popular melting pot that queers share with fags and immigrants. in Lausanne, Avenue de Tivoli, west of the city center, is known as "gay street" because of the large number of gay addresses. The gay man on the go has little chance of getting bored. A flurry of bars in Geneva. An overabundance of clubs in Lausanne. Not to mention the sex clubs, including the largest sauna in Switzerland, in Tivoli.

But here, gays don't just party. "There is at least one association per canton," says Philippe Scandolera of 360°, one of the most active in Geneva. And they are not sleeping on the "registered partnership", the equivalent of the pacs, which was obtained by vote, in other words, one of these popular referendums that punctuate Swiss life. The associations that have already obtained the opening of shooting galleries for drug users and the possibility of testing for AIDS are working together to obtain homoparentality and adoption. Even if the canton of Geneva is plagued by populist temptations, the gay community is hopeful.

Photo Geneva © Alexandre Roche / Têtu

For freedom of morals is as much a part of the heritage here as Gruyère cheese or diplomatic neutrality. "The Swiss are tolerant as long as they are discreet. Sexuality is part of the private sphere. We respect it, but we don't talk about it," says Christine Seuret, a guide in Lausanne, where a subway station is named after the choreographer Maurice Béjart. Many see the influence of the Reformation, which made Geneva the Protestant Rome. A religion reputed to be austere but open and progressive.

Geneva is a land of welcome for refugees, and in the 19th century it became a bastion of diplomacy where 22 international institutions and 250 NGOs are based. As a result, its population is very cosmopolitan and rather enlightened. Apparently, it is also more gay. "You can't imagine the number of fags you'll meet at the UN," laughs a connoisseur. "It's a border town that is neither really Swiss nor really French. It's an international crossroads on a human scale," says Philippe Scandolera, who would find it "very difficult to go back to live in France. Home to the Olympic Committee, a city of creativity and students, Lausanne is also "very friendly". "It's in its genes," says Alexandre Herkommer, creator of the monumental Jungle parties.

The two cities, 70 km apart, are also pleasant vacation destinations. Especially since mid-December, the TGV has gained 20 minutes to connect Geneva to Paris 9 times a day in three hours. Of course, between the lake and the Jura, at the foot of the ski resorts, the summer is mild, but the winter is chilly. However, the area does not lack tourist attractions. Quality hotels and restaurants, especially since the Romans have started producing excellent wines. Luxury shopping. And there's plenty to choose from in the cultural department: dozens of museums, numerous shows and, on the lakefront, Montreux and its jazz and comedy festivals.

But beware: even if the buses and streetcars are free for those who stay at the hotel (as well as the train between the airport and Geneva), life remains expensive, especially since the Swiss franc soared!

(Main photo from the website gaystreet.ch, portal of the rue de Tivoli, the gay street of Lausanne)