Marseille’s many tags and graffitos give some indication of the mood of the neighbourhood: tags are everywhere and they’re lively and full-on. Many tags don’t last long, being either overwritten or erased by the city’s cleansing efforts. But those which survive tell a story of the political and social undercurrents. This photo walk around my neighbourhood on the border between the 5th and 6th arondissments was exploring a question which came up at the bike club “Galette des Rois” meeting last weekend: why does Marseille, as France’s second city, have so little obvious LGBTQ+ activity. No particular answers to the question from this essay: it seems Marseille is still in the world of “Don’t ask, don’t tell”.
