unspeakablevice:

[above: 17th century illustration of the Tuileries Garden, a popular location for cruising]

“The general French perception in the 18th century was that aristocratic persons commonly succumbed to what was known as le beau vice [intimate relations between the same sex]. The police, however, increased their attempts to suppress homosexuality in the general population, including through entrapment and police harassment. Yet a gay subculture still managed a palpable, though marginal, existence. There were gay taverns in Paris, as well as known places for cruising, such as Pont Neuf and the Tuileries gardens. It is likely that this era’s move away from the death penalty for sodomy helped in the preservation of this subculture.”

— Brent L. Pickett, Historical Dictionary of Homosexuality. Emphasis added.