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Gay marriage: love and hate in France Gay marriage: love and hate in France
(5 months later)
On Tuesday, France became the 14th country to legalise gay marriage after parliament approved a bill to allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt children. But the vote felt more of a landmark than that number implies. Historically, it ranks as the country's third major piece of social legislation in as many decades. Only François Mitterrand's abolition of the death penalty in 1981 and the introduction of civil partnerships in 1999 ranks as high. The here and now counts just as much. As François Hollande approaches the first anniversary of his presidency with record low popularity ratings and as another round of potentially catastrophic unemployment figures looms on Thursday, getting gay marriage through must count as a major boost both to the government and his presidency.On Tuesday, France became the 14th country to legalise gay marriage after parliament approved a bill to allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt children. But the vote felt more of a landmark than that number implies. Historically, it ranks as the country's third major piece of social legislation in as many decades. Only François Mitterrand's abolition of the death penalty in 1981 and the introduction of civil partnerships in 1999 ranks as high. The here and now counts just as much. As François Hollande approaches the first anniversary of his presidency with record low popularity ratings and as another round of potentially catastrophic unemployment figures looms on Thursday, getting gay marriage through must count as a major boost both to the government and his presidency.
But it has been at some cost: 172 hours of sometimes vitriolic and ugly debate in the national assembly and the senate has been accompanied by violence in the streets of France's major cities. Two weeks ago a Dutch-born man walking with his partner was badly beaten up in Paris. Last week skinheads attacked a gay bar in Lille, after announcing they had come to mete out hate, while another bar in Bordeaux was attacked by masked and armed men. Tens of thousands have marched against gay marriage in Paris, some of them calling themselves "the French spring".But it has been at some cost: 172 hours of sometimes vitriolic and ugly debate in the national assembly and the senate has been accompanied by violence in the streets of France's major cities. Two weeks ago a Dutch-born man walking with his partner was badly beaten up in Paris. Last week skinheads attacked a gay bar in Lille, after announcing they had come to mete out hate, while another bar in Bordeaux was attacked by masked and armed men. Tens of thousands have marched against gay marriage in Paris, some of them calling themselves "the French spring".
Inside parliament, the atmosphere has hardly been more enlightened. The president of the national assembly, Claude Bartolone, has received death threats. A deputy from the (supposedly mainstream) rightwing UMP party accused the government of killing children by allowing gay adoption, and a senator said legalising gay marriage was akin to allowing people to marry animals. Others had difficulty getting their history right. Jean-Claude Lenoir, a UMP senator, accused the government of disrupting the civil code. It was written by Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès, who himself was gay.Inside parliament, the atmosphere has hardly been more enlightened. The president of the national assembly, Claude Bartolone, has received death threats. A deputy from the (supposedly mainstream) rightwing UMP party accused the government of killing children by allowing gay adoption, and a senator said legalising gay marriage was akin to allowing people to marry animals. Others had difficulty getting their history right. Jean-Claude Lenoir, a UMP senator, accused the government of disrupting the civil code. It was written by Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès, who himself was gay.
The outbreak of vigilante homophobia, and the backlash against laws that have become the norm – not only in liberal northern Europe but in Spain and Portugal too – is a reminder of how rightwing France remains at heart. Although a majority are for gay marriage, 53% oppose gay adoption rights. Even so, there are large gaps in the new law. It does not give automatic joint parenting rights to gay couples who have a child together; nor does it allow gay women to go to sperm banks. Hundreds of thousands of children are being raised in gay families in France, whose parents now have to marry before applying to adopt their own children. The government has hinted at amendments, but it may well lack the stomach for the fight. The French version of America's Tea Party might have proved too strong a taste.The outbreak of vigilante homophobia, and the backlash against laws that have become the norm – not only in liberal northern Europe but in Spain and Portugal too – is a reminder of how rightwing France remains at heart. Although a majority are for gay marriage, 53% oppose gay adoption rights. Even so, there are large gaps in the new law. It does not give automatic joint parenting rights to gay couples who have a child together; nor does it allow gay women to go to sperm banks. Hundreds of thousands of children are being raised in gay families in France, whose parents now have to marry before applying to adopt their own children. The government has hinted at amendments, but it may well lack the stomach for the fight. The French version of America's Tea Party might have proved too strong a taste.
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