France joined England in taking one more crucial step on the road to marriage equality today when the French assembly passed the controversial gay marriage and adoption bill.
France’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday approved a sweeping bill to legalize gay marriage and allow same-sex couples to adopt children, handing a major legislative victory to President Francois Hollande’s Socialists on a divisive social issue.
The measure, approved in the National Assembly in a 329-to-229 vote, puts France on track to join about a dozen mostly European nations that allow gay marriage and comes despite a string of recent demonstrations by opponents of the so-called “marriage for all” bill…The overall bill now goes to the Senate, which is also controlled by the Socialists and their allies.
“This law is a first necessary step, a social evolution that benefits society overall,” said Socialist representative Corinne Narassiguin. “Opening up marriage and adoption to homosexual couples is a very beautiful advance … It is an emblematic vote, a vote that will mark history.”
Shanestud
I find it interesting that no U.S. major news site or TV network bothers reporting this story. By not doing so they keep all the rabid NOM supporters, gay haters and the general public in the dark about the spread of legalized same sex marriage and adoption that is actually happening outside the USA.
Aidan8
Félicitations à tous les citoyens de la France! Brave!
casey
Congratulations, France.
audo_r
Je suis très heureux d’en entendre. Finalement, la France tient compte complètement du ?égalité?dont elle parle en la devise du pays.
1EqualityUSA
Good work. I wish the USA was closer to equality. Thank you for being fair to your compatriots.
customartist
@Shanestud:
The flip side to this is that the Cray-Cray’s on the Right may be slightly less incensed to action against us(?)
Joetx
Once again, the headline in a Queerty article is incorrect. The French Parliament, like the American Congress, has 2 houses. The French lower house, the National Assembly, has passed a same-sex marriage & adoption bill. The other house, the Senate, still has to take action on the bill.
A similar mistake was made by Queerty re: Parliament and same-sex marriage in England & Wales.
It would be like the U.S. House of Representatives passing a marriage equality bill (fat chance of that happening since the RepubliCONS control the House), while the Senate hasn’t taken any action, & Queerty reporting that “Congress has passed a marriage equality bill.”
1EqualityUSA
Joetx, I understood it the way you have explained it in your post. It says, “one more crucial step towards marriage equality.” above. Oh well, it’s good to clarify for those who may misunderstand the message. It’s a step in the right direction.
Joel J
Pope Benedict will flip out on this one. He will go down in history as the pope who “lost” France to laicite’.
jwrappaport
Liberté, égalité, homosexualité.
Brothers in arms at Yorktown, Second Marne, Normandy – now here. Vive la France!
FrnchFrnch
The bill on gay mariage and adoption is sure to pass now 🙂 Gay couples will marry in France probably this summer. But starting a family won’t yet be easy for gay and lesbian couples. There are almost no children to adopt. Lesbian couples are still not allowed to use artificial insemination, although it is legal for straight couples (forbidden for singles). The resolution of this issue has been constantly delayed since september. It should be discussed at the end of the year but the opposition to LGBT rights is so strong and well organized here that it is believed the government won’t put up a fight for this. As for surrogacy, almost everyone now agrees to keep it strictly prohibited to everyone, gay or not. The phrase “commodification of bodies” has rapidly become a convenient way to oppose it disdainfully. Period.
alexoloughlin
Good news for sure. 329-229 isn’t a significantly impressive majority though. I would have expected it to be higher, unlike in the UK were it was a super majority of 400-175 and of the 175 agasint, 136 actual votes were cast, the rest were abstentions or absences. Interestingly, British gay couples aren’t barred from artificial insemination under the current civil partnership law that also allows adoption and the bringing in of a foreign partner, so it will be no different when equal marriage passes into law in the UK. A lot more comprehensive than the French legislation in my opinion.