Clémence Guetté: "Friendship Deserves Legal Recognition Too"
LFI MP Clémence Guetté has published a book on friendship politics. Inspired by queer literature, she proposes legal recognition of friendship. This matters for LGBTQ+ chosen families.
Clémence Guetté is an LFI MP from Val-de-Marne. She also serves as vice-president of the National Assembly. She just published an important book. It is called For a Politics of Friendship. It is published by La Découverte.
In this book, she discusses friendship as a political value. She draws inspiration from queer literature to develop her ideas. Queer literature often explores alternative emotional bonds. These bonds go beyond traditional family structures.
Clémence Guetté asks a simple question. Why does society not recognize friendship? She believes friendship can be as important as romantic love. It therefore deserves legal and social recognition.
She proposes a concrete idea. Friendship could have a legal framework. Much like the Pacs protects couples. Close friends could have similar rights. For example, hospital visitation or inheritance rights.
This idea speaks directly to LGBTQ+ people. Many queer individuals build chosen families. These families are formed by close friends, not just biological relatives. Often, these bonds lack legal recognition.
For people rejected by their families, this is a real problem. Their closest friends have no legal rights. Clémence Guetté wants to change this. She wants politics to take these realities seriously.
The book draws on literary and philosophical references. Queer authors have written extensively about friendship. Clémence Guetté builds on these works. She integrates them into concrete political reflection.
The full interview appears in Têtu magazine's autumn issue. It is available at newsstands. It is also accessible by subscription. This book opens a necessary debate on human bonds and politics.