Search form

Scroll To Top
News & Opinion

Xavier Jugelé: Policeman Killed in Paris Attack Championed LGBTQ Rights

Christophe Ena
Christophe Ena/AP

The 37-year-old officer used his position to proudly advocate for queers worldwide. 

Xavier Jugele, a 37-year-old Paris police officer, was killed yesterday during Paris' attack on Champs-Elysees, when a gunman opened fire using a Kalashnikov. The shooting, later claimed by the Islamic State militant group, killed Jugele and wounded two other officers, as well as a bystander.

Officer Jugele was a longtime LGBTQ advocate, using his position of power to proudly defend the rights of queers across the globe. Before the Olympics, he joined protests against Russia's ban on "homosexual propaganda," and joined the French association for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender police officers (FLAG).

6874338_xavier-jugele_1000x625

Xavier Jugele

"He was a simple man who loved his job, and he was really committed to the LGBT cause," FLAG President Mikael Bucheron told the New York Times. "He joined the association a few years ago, and he protested with us when there was the homosexual propaganda ban at the Sochi Olympic Games."

France has been in a state of emergency since Isis' previous attack on Paris in November 2015. Officer Jugele was one of many responders deployed on Bataclan, where 90 people were killed. He returned to the concert hall a year later for a commemorative event, telling the press, "We're here tonight as witnesses. Here to defend our civic values. This concert's to celebreat life. To say no to terrorists."

Advocate Channel - The Pride StoreOut / Advocate Magazine - Fellow Travelers & Jamie Lee Curtis

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Justin Moran