When they’re not getting shirtless and holding hands, gay marriage opponents are getting increasingly violent.
Raphaël Leclerc, 24, and his boyfriend were brutally attacked by three men while leaving a club in Nice on Saturday.
The Local reports:
“I left the nightclub with my boyfriend at around 5.35am on Saturday. We were not kissing and we were not holding hands,” explained the 24-year-old cabaret dancer. “A couple of minutes later there were three , who were shouting ‘hey gays’ at us, and then they ran at us.”
The victim was then asked by his aggressors if he was French or Chechen. He replied French before being set upon. He was punched and kicked until he lost consciousness.
This is the second attack in as many weeks as France readies to legalize gay marriage. Like Wilfred de Brujin, who was left bloody and beaten after a similar attack in Paris, Leclerc posted his bruised face on Facebook to raise awareness of homophobia.
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Meanwhile, the so-called “marriage for all bill” is expected to get final approval from Parliament tomorrow, April 23, making it the third country this month to legalize gay marriage — after Uruguay and New Zealand — and the 14th overall.
andy_d
Gee, sounds like parts of the U.S.
B Damion
I can’t understand why people put so much energy and effort into hating a single group of people who are just trying to live life.
Just mind your business and move on with your own life. Jesus! all this violence leads to to what?
Dakotahgeo
FORTUNAYELY, France is more of a loving country than these anti-gay knuckle dragger idiots! It would bode the gay people to arm themselves at all times and shoot at will at any bigoted animals!
Dakotahgeo
@Dakotahgeo: *FORTUNATELY*
ouragannyc
Dakotahgeo: Not so sure it’s that loving anylonger with all that violence.
The anti-marriage crowds are huge. Meanwhile, I don’t see the pro-marriage groups doing the
same. Maybe they are too confident.
After/If the bill gets passed tomorrow, the opposition groups plan to take it before
the Conseil Constitutionel (supreme court) where they hope it will be defeated.
This saga is not over yet.
2wheels2four
I have to say, I’m surprised that the French are making such a big deal out of this. For a country that has a long history, at least in the larger cities, of treating extra-marital affairs as something that “just happens”, their sudden tight-assed attitude about Traditional Marriage seems laughable and hypocritical.
InscrutableTed
This article from Metro France seems to imply that homophobia wasn’t the primary motive: http://www.metrofrance.com/nice-cannes/nice-enquete-ouverte-apres-l-agression-de-deux-homosexuels/mmdv!cWUeyo4uBNhnU/
> “Dans cette histoire, l’homophobie n’est peut-être pas à l’origine de l’agression, mais elle y a participé”, a affirmé M. Pottier [secrétaire général du Centre LGBT Côte d’Azur]
Translation: “In this story, homophobia perhaps isn’t the origin of the attack, but it contributed to it”, stated Mr Pottier [secretary general of the Côte d’Azur LGBT Centre].
The article also says police have confirmed the attack but haven’t given details, though they’ve been ordered to investigate. It appears most of the information is coming from the victim himself.
alexoloughlin
@2wheels2four: France is an extremely socially conservative country once you leave the larger cities, mostly an agricultural society. It’s a myth about its reputation for tolerance of extra-marital affairs too, one that has been created outside of the country, mainly here in the U.S. It also has it’s own domestic problems with assimilating muslims and other ‘undesirables’ many of whom are marginalized and ignored. The Manif pour Tous hate group claim that unemployment should be the major concern not marriage equality and yet they’re not demonstrating for the former. This is nothing more than an exercise in blatant homophobia aided and abetted by the roman cult. Gays are the scapegoats for the country’s ills and same-sex marriage is the obvious target.