Egalite pour LGBT en Francais Possible

Same-sex marriage bill debated beginning Jan. 29.

On a leisurely Sunday, January 27, over 125,000 demonstrators marched in Paris to show their support for a same-sex marriage bill that lawmakers would begin to debate two days later. According to the police, the march drew twice as many people as a similar demonstration in mid-December. Two weeks ago, police estimated that an even greater number – 340,000 people opposed to the proposal, demonstrated in Paris.

President Francois Hollande’s Campaign Pledge

Gay marriage was one of Hollande’s campaign pledges during his bid to become President. When he took office in May 2012,  Socialist Hollande promised to legalize gay marriage within a year. France is one of a number of European nations that already have civil unions for same-sex couples.  The civil solidarity pact, one Parisian lesbian claims, “provides limited protection and is not a marriage.  It’s simply a contract between two people – marriage is bigger, it symbolizes much more.”

The Marriage Equality Bill

The draft law redefines marriage as “contracted between two persons of different sex or of the same sex,” and the word “parents” replace “mother and father.”  The bill also allows married same-sex couples to adopt children.

The law, known as Marriage for All, simply “ gives the same rights to and confers the same duties on homosexual couples: the conditions of marriage are unchanged,” according to the Minister of Justice Christine Taubira. The French Institute of Public Opinion poll released on January 26th shows that sixty-three percent are in favor of same-sex marriage and forty-nine percent favor the right of same-sex married couples to adopt.

Just this week, two straight-with-children members of Parliament, socialist MPs Yann Galut and Nicholas Bays joined the ‘Marriage for All’ protests as allies.  They kissed to show solidarity with homosexuals and their kiss went viral.

Opposition to the Bill

Opponents of the Bill include senior Roman Catholic, Jewish and Muslim leaders who believe “the law alters the natural order of procreation and will lead to moral confusion and the erosion of the centuries-old institution of marriage in the name of a small minority.”

However, even in a predominantly Catholic country, the bill is expected to pass in Parliament. Even with the long legislative process, the bill could become law as early as May.