Support for Sabrina Decanton, who was forced by lesbophobia within her local political group to withdraw her candidacy for mayor.

EL*C has long been committed to supporting lesbian elected officials. We believe it is essential that lesbian brilliance and leadership be present in every field — including politics, one of the areas with the greatest impact on the lives of lesbians.

The problem is that once elected, lesbians often become the target of countless attacks. Some of our own Board members, such as Zhanar Sekerbayeva in Kazakhstan or Alice Coffin in France, have experienced this when they campaigned or held office.

But perhaps even more serious is the discrimination that takes place before elections, at the moment when candidates are selected. Many local groups or political parties assume that putting forward a lesbian candidate would reduce their chances of winning.

This is exactly what happened in France, in the city of Saint-Ouen. Sabrina Ducanton was subjected to lesbophobic and racist prejudice from her local political group, the EELV ecological group.

She wrote in a statement published on 25 November:

“For several months, I have been the target of homophobia. My sexual orientation is mentioned as an obstacle to my candidacy and to a potential victory, some believing it would make me incompatible with the support of working-class neighbourhoods.”

We express our full support for Sabrina Ducanton.
We stand with — and will continue to stand with — all lesbians who make the very courageous choice to engage in political life, and who are equally courageous in publicly denouncing the attacks they face.