Latest news with #SarahElHairy
The Independent
31-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Independent
I'm gay – I don't want to be surrounded by children on holiday
In a contested year for really bad ideas, this is a howler – or should that be howleur? Because the French have proposed a new law that would mean hotels and restaurants that don't admit children could be prosecuted. Quelle horreur. France 's high commissioner for childhood, Sarah El Haïry, said that the hospitality industry was showing signs of a 'no-kids trend', and that, she said, was ' violence against children'. She particularly took aim at adults like me, who object to being disturbed by other people's kids when on holiday. 'A child shouts, laughs and moves,' she said. 'We're institutionalising the idea that silence is a luxury and the absence of children is a luxury.' Damn right we are – and it's a luxury I won't give up without a fight. Because such a ban on 'adult-only' establishments would be inadvertently homophobic. It's an overlooked and under-discussed topic, and potentially taboo to say, but whoever proposed this ban hasn't faced the microaggressions that gay people like me face daily – from children. They can't help it – they're kids. But kids don't have the same filter that fully socialised adults do. And that lack of filter can spoil my holiday, cherished time I take out away from the microaggressions of the everyday straight world. They're not things like outright hostility or violence; it's the small things that add up to make you feel like you're not welcome. They catapult you back to when you were treated as an outsider, a freak, a 'queer', just for being you. When I'm affectionate in public with a partner, as everyone should be able to be on holiday – and the French, of all people, should get this – children who haven't witnessed much same-sex affection will often stare. They sometimes point, whisper or giggle. This is what I mean by a microaggression – and it's one I can do without. You get tired of being someone else's learning curve. That includes staring kids. I don't blame them for doing it. But so many times, in places where kids are allowed, me and my boyfriend (who am I kidding? Holiday romance…) often end up self-censoring to the point we'll refrain from even holding hands. Recently, I got sick of reigning it in that this year, for the first time, I stayed in a gay-friendly resort in Mexico, the Spartacus Hostel for Men in Puerto Vallarta. It was a revelation. Surrounded only by other gay men, I… exhaled. I was no longer in a minority. We could be as gay as we liked, without fear of upsetting or confusing conservative families with children. It was hugely liberating. Under French plans, such places of freedom would be prosecuted. I would avoid France if it instigated such a ban. And we must raise our voices before an idea like this spreads. It's not just for people like me who want to be gay in peace. My female best friend is happily childless by choice. We both adore adult-only establishments. We live on opposite sides of the world so our quality quiet time together, without the interruption of kids, is important to us. She would resist such a mindless ban, given she gets judged enough for a choice she sees as empowering, when others see it, infuriatingly, as sympathy-inducing. We love our friends' children, but we need spaces where our own behaviour isn't policed. Where we can swear, flirt, drink cocktails, tell sordid stories without having to live up to 'child friendly' behaviour standards. There are just a handful of magical 'men-only' hostels and hotels in the world, catering to gay men like me who want to truly relax without worrying, for once, about upsetting anyone's 'innocent' sensibilities. In addition, there's only a relatively small cohort of adult-only venues worldwide, designed for people who don't hate kids, but simply desire a week or two without them. According to most recent statistics, France is still the world's most visited country. But it risks kissing goodbye to that top spot if it proceeds with this ill-considered and stigmatising ban. Well… mwah!
South China Morning Post
28-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Should adult-only hotels and restaurants be allowed? France considers banning them
The French government is mulling measures to clamp down on adult-only hotels and restaurants, with a top official warning that hospitality venues excluding children in a so-called 'no kids' strategy were dividing society. While Paris is considered one of the most child-friendly cities in the world, more venues in France have been shunning children in an effort to shield customers from kids' unpredictable behaviour and noise. The government this week held a round table meeting with key industry players to discuss a trend that France's high commissioner for childhood, Sarah El Hairy, has said should end. Socialist senator Laurence Rossignol has introduced a bill that would make it illegal to ban children from venues in France. We are pushing children and families out, and in a way, this is real violence. France's high commissioner for childhood, Sarah El Hairy 'Children are not a nuisance,' said Rossignol, adding that the bill is aimed at promoting 'a society that is open to children'.
Malay Mail
28-05-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
‘Children are not a nuisance': France weighs crackdown on adult-only hotels and restaurants, urges society to be more inclusive
PARIS, May 28 — The French government is mulling measures to clamp down on adult-only hotels and restaurants, with a top official warning that hospitality venues excluding children in a so-called 'no kids' strategy were dividing society. While Paris is considered one of the most child-friendly cities in the world, more and more venues in France have been shunning children in an effort to shield customers from kids' unpredictable behaviour and noise. The government yesterday held a roundtable meeting with key industry players to discuss a trend that France's high commissioner for childhood, Sarah El Hairy, has said should end. Socialist senator Laurence Rossignol has introduced a bill that would make it illegal to ban children from venues in France. 'Children are not a nuisance,' said Rossignol, adding that the bill is aimed at promoting 'a society that is open to children'. 'We cannot accept that some people decide they no longer want to tolerate a particular section of the population, in this case children,' she told AFP. El Hairy said excluding children was infringing on their rights, putting pressure on their parents and dividing society. 'There is a growing intolerance, and we must not allow it to take hold,' El Hairy told broadcaster RTL. 'We are pushing children and families out, and in a way, this is real violence,' she added. 'It's not in our culture, it's not our philosophy, and it's not what we want to see as the norm in our country.' On Tuesday, she brought together representatives of the tourism and transport industries, including Airbnb, to discuss the 'no-kids' trend. In France, adult-only services are currently limited. According to estimates from a travel industry union, they represented around three percent of the market in 2024. Questions about children's place in society have been at the forefront of the public debate in France in recent years. The French Federation of Nurseries has repeatedly called on lawmakers to ensure children's right 'to make noise'. In the spring of 2024, a report submitted to President Emmanuel Macron said authorities needed to create alternatives to help children reduce the amount of screen time and 'give them back their rightful place, including their right to be noisy'. A few months later, the government's High Council for Family, Children and Age (HCFEA) warned about the lack of spaces for children, pointing to the 'harmful consequences for their physical and mental health'. Rossignol praised El Hairy's initiative to gather together tourism and transport executives, but said more needed to be done. 'Now we need to go further,' she said. 'The president's camp must put this issue on the parliamentary agenda.' — AFP
