French-Moroccan Sarah El-Hairy becomes first female minister in office in France to come out

French-Moroccan Sarah El-Hairy, Secretary of State for Youth and National Service, became the first female minister in office to publicly come out in the history of France.

In an interview with Forbes, the 33-year-old minister responded to a question regarding the attacks of which she was regularly the target on social networks, saying, "When my family or my partner (ma compagne: feminine form in French) are affected, yes, it pains me." 

'A discrete coming out' titled Forbes the interview, as the minister, which her government is currently in crisis amid the ongoing protests, did not articulate further on her sexuality and dedicated the rest of the interview to questions on Moroccan-French ties, ChatGPT and youth empowerment.

Born in France to two Moroccan parents, El-Hairy went to high school in Rabat where she passed the baccalaureate degree. After that, she moved to France, where she graduated in law and launched her political career in her home city of Nantes.

"I am Franco-Moroccan. Even if I deeply love Morocco, the country where I grew up. I deny nothing of my history," added the minister as she spoke on tense Moroccan-French ties.

The declaration of El-Hairy came two weeks after her colleague Olivier Dussopt, Minister of Labour, had also spoken openly about his sexuality in an interview with Têtu magazine. Dussopt's interview came in a more delicate political context as he is the bearer of the controversial pension reform that triggered weeks of protests around the country.

Unlike El-Hairy, the labour minister spoke extensively about his sexual orientation, which was, however, "neither a secret nor a subject" for him.

"Being homosexual is never neutral, but one has the right to defend causes, to militate, to participate in the debate without making one's personal situation a political element in itself," he stated.

The politician who paved the way for "the ministerial coming out" in France was the former socialist deputy Françoise Gaspard, who announced her pact with her spouse in the columns of Le Monde in 2000. 

The mayor of Pau André Labarrère had been the first elected official to come out in 1997 in a book, "Le Bal des Singles".

Thanks to the vigorous activism of the LGBTQ+ community,  France became one of the most progressive countries for the community's rights.

In 1982, the age of consent was lowered from 21 to 18 for homosexuals in France, making it the same for everyone. This landmark law paved the way for essential civil liberties, including the legalisation allowing same-sex marriage in 2013.

However, living openly as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in France still presents a significant psychological, emotional and social challenge. 

In 2022, complaints against homophobic or transphobic acts increased by 55% only in Paris and its suburbs. An increase that climbs to 116% in other prefectures, according to French media.