Didier Lestrade
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Didier Lestrade, 2010
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22 February 1958 Médéa, French Algeria |
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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. He grew up in the south-west of France, and left home in 1977 after failing twice to graduate from the baccalauréat. He then went to Paris, where he began working for the first French independent gay publication, Gaie Presse. This magazine was short-lived (four issues only). At the age of 22, he then decided to found Magazine Trimestriel, with Misti who soon became art director for the leading 1980s French gay newspaper, Gai Pied. Magazine Trimestriel was considered by many to be the most influential all male underground gay publication of its time. Dazed 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 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, 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.
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