théo
Image: Le Refuge

“Théo – Chapter 1.” The dark reality of homophobia

Le Refuge is the national association that aims to prevent the isolation and suicide of LGBT youth, aged 18 to 25, victims of homophobia or transphobia and in situations of family breakdown. For 16 years, it has housed and supported young LGBT adults towards their emotional and material restoration. In December 2019, Le Refuge unveiled a short film entitled “Théo – Chapter 1”, in which a young boy faces homophobia from his schoolmates, but also and above all, from his family. The short film is accompanied by Eddy de Pretto’s hit “Kid.”

While the story is fictional, it is sadly very close to reality. In France, each year, about 300 LGBT adolescents find themselves on the street, rejected by their own families. Le Refuge receives over 5000 calls from LGBT youth per year on its hotline. It shelters more than one hundred young people excluded from their homes because of their sexual orientation. Those who cannot find a place in the bridging apartments can benefit from day care on their premises.

You can watch “Théo – Chapter 1” in full below, on Youtube and on the association’s website.