Passing of law allowing gay couples to marry and adopt children comes after heated debate in parliament and weeks of protest
By Angelique Chrisafis in Paris, The Guardian – April 23, 2013
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/23/france-approves-same-sex-marriage
France has become the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage , pushing through François Hollande’s flagship social change after months of street protests, political slanging matches and a rise in homophobic attacks.
After 331 votes for and 225 votes against, there were chants of “Equality. Equality.” in the French assembly, where the Socialists have an absolute majority. But thousands of riot police and water cannons were in place near the parliament building in Paris in advance of planned demonstrations against the law.
The right to marriage and adoption for everyone regardless of sexual orientation has proved bitterly divisive in France, triggering the biggest conservative and rightwing street protests in 30 years. Recent weeks have seen more than 200 arrests as police teargassed late-night demonstrators near parliament. More than 172 hours of heated debate in the assembly and the senate meant the bill was one of the most debated in recent history, with furious clashes and a near fist-fight between politicians.
One rightwing MP warned the government was “killing children” by allowing same-sex married couples to adopt and one senator warned gay marriage would open the way to people being able to marry animals or objects. MPs in favour of the bill received death threats, skinheads attacked a gay bar in Lille, and gay rights groups reported a rise in homophobic attacks.
Before the vote, the speaker of the assembly ordered the expulsion of noisy protesters from the public gallery, calling them “enemies of democracy”.
The vote makes France the ninth country in Europe to legalise same-sex marriage and the first ceremonies could take place this summer.
The right has appealed to France’s constitutional council in protest at the law, but it is unlikely to succeed in overturning it.
The vote for one of Hollande’s major electoral pledges is a positive point for the Socialist president at a time when his popularity is at record lows as unemployment rises and the government struggles to contain the scandal of its budget minister’s secret Swiss bank account.
But the law leaves key issues on family rights unanswered. It will not grant automatic co-parenting rights for same-sex couples in civil partnerships, nor allow access to medically assisted procreation or IVF to lesbian couples. Rights campaigners want these issues to be addressed in a family law this year. The government has referred the issue of medically assisted procreation to France’s national ethics council which will rule in the autumn. But the issue of parenting and procreation rights remains deeply divisive in opinion polls and among politicians.
Christiane Taubira, the justice minister, said the government was “surprised by the virulence of the opposition” to the marriage and adoption law but was confident it would now die down”. She said: “We believe that the first weddings will be beautiful and that they’ll bring a breeze of joy, and that those who are opposed to them today will surely be confounded when they are overcome with the happiness of the newlyweds and the families.”
Further street demonstrations against the same-sex marriage and adoption law have been planned for next month.
via Golden Age of Gaia
