LGBTQ history in France
The history of LGBTQ people in France covers the social, political, and cultural history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer individuals in France and how French institutions and society have interacted with them.Initially marked by severe legal and religious condemnation, sometimes leading to death, particularly affecting the Third Estate more than the aristocracy, the French Revolution ended the criminalization of homosexual practices. However, under the Napoleonic Empires, repression took new forms: discreet and police-driven under Napoleon I, it was coupled with medical condemnation under Napoleon III. Despite this, a homosexual and cross-dressing sociability and culture emerged by the late 19th century, particularly in Paris.