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Saturday, November 17, 2012

French government approves introduction of same-sex marriage

Draft law on gay marriage and adoption to go before parliament amid protests and concerns plans do not go far enough

by Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
The Guardian
Originally published November 7, 2012


Plans to introduce gay marriage and adoption rights have been approved by France amid growing protest from the French right and religious leaders.

François Hollande, the Socialist president, had made same-sex marriage and adoption a cornerstone of his election campaign, promising a law before mid-2013.

The draft legislation goes before parliament in January.

France would become the 12th country to legalise gay marriage – after others such as Canada, South Africa, Spain and Portugal. But with 60 million people it would be the biggest in terms of economic and diplomatic influence.

"This would be progress not just for the few, but for our whole society," Hollande told the cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

But the plans have proved more divisive than he and the left had hoped. Amid a conservative backlash, Catholic church protests and political squabbling, draft legislation has been slightly delayed and, some gay activists argue, watered down.

The entire story is here.