Дидье Лестрад: Француз жазушысы, белсенді және құқық қорғаушысы

French author and advocate

Didier Lestrade (born 22 February 1958), is a French author, magazine publisher, AIDS and LGBT rights advocate.

Didier Lestrade was born in Médéa, French Algeria. and The New York Times website wrote a small story about recent Magazine exhibit in Paris, at the gallery 12Mail. Since then, Magazine is enjoying a revival of sorts with Butt magazine publishing an interview of Didier Lestrade. In 1986, the publication folded after conducting ninety full length interviews, in both English and French, including David Hockney, Bronski Beat, Brion Gysin, Divine, Gilbert & George, Bill Ward (British artist) and Tom of Finland. Magazine was also a leading outlet for cutting edge European and American male photography of that time, introducing vintage work from Pierre et Gilles, Patrick Sarfati, Erwin Olaf, and Paul Blanca, Stanley Stellar and many more. The last issues were up to 190 pages.

In 1986, at the age of 28, he discovered he was HIV positive, Lestrade developed a career as a freelance music journalist, writing for Gai Pied, Libération and Rolling Stone. He played an influential role in the new house/techno music scene, writing weekly reviews in Libération that were widely read. In 1989, at 31, he shifted his focus to AIDS activism, and founded the first French chapter of ACT UP with close friends and journalists Pascal R. Loubet and Luc Coulavin. He was president of Act Up Paris for the three first critical years. In 1992, he played an important role in founding of TRT 5 [fr], a coalition of major French AIDS organizations. TRT 5 was at the forefront of AIDS treatment issues, and Lestrade was one of its administrators until 2002. By 2000, Lestrade switched from treatment issues to AIDS prevention and became a leading voice against barebacking and confronted the ground breaking writer Guillaume Dustan. The romanesque story of this fight was written (without Lestrade's approval) in Tristan Garcia's first book, awarded by the prix de Flore, La meilleure part des hommes in 2008.

In 1995, at 37, he co founded the leading French gay & lesbian monthly magazine, Têtu, again with the help of Pascal R. Loubet. Financed by Pierre Bergé, of Yves Saint Laurent fame, and run by Thomas Doustally, its editor in chief, Têtu is the most successful gay magazine in Europe. In 2008, he left Têtu and revamped a year later the website Minorités. org with fellow journalists Laurent Chambon from Netherlands and Mehmet Koksal from Belgium. He is editor in chief of the Minorités's weekly newsletter. The purpose of Minorités is to gather issues regarding minorities around the world.

In 2000, Didier Lestrade along several friends opened, a monthly review at the Boule noire. This mixed house gay club with DJ resident Patrick Vidal lasted until 2004. Then he followed with Otra Otra with DJ resident Nick V until 2006. Lestrade also released two music compilations with Patrick Thévenin: Paradise Garage (Pschent, 1997) and Paradise Garage 2 (Pschent, 1999). Another compilation came in 2008: Slow Jamz & Hot Songs (WEA).

After leaving Têtu, Didier Lestrade tried to focus his writing on Internet, as most of his articles during the last two decades can't be found online. He opened his blog, which has been considered by French GQ website as one of the twenty most influential blogs. In 2010, he started his own website dedicated to archives from his career as a journalist, on topics like music, photography, AIDS activism and gay porn.