Socialist French govt. promises to legalize same-sex ‘marriage,’ adoption ‘in a few months’
PARIS, FRANCE, July 2, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – As homosexuals and their political supporters participate in the Gay Pride celebrations, the French government has announced plans to legalize same-sex “marriage” in “the next few months,” replacing the current law that allows homosexuals to enter into civil partnerships. This would make France the seventh EU country to do so, following Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
“The government has made it an objective for the next few months to work on implementing its campaign commitments on the fight against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity,” an official statement from the president’s office said on Friday.
“Within a year, people of the same sex will be able to marry and adopt children together,” the French Minister for Families Dominique Bertinotti, who attended the Pride parade in Paris the next day, told the daily Le Parisien.
“The government has made it an objective for the next few months to work on implementing its campaign commitments on the fight against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity,” an official statement from the president’s office said on Friday.
“Within a year, people of the same sex will be able to marry and adopt children together,” the French Minister for Families Dominique Bertinotti, who attended the Pride parade in Paris the next day, told the daily Le Parisien.
She said that she was “confident” new legislation “would be passed in 2013.” She added, “Every bit of social progress benefits society as a whole.” The official statement from the government confirmed the plans, but said there is as yet no projected date.
The French parliament refused a bill in 2011, with the then-ruling majority Union for a Popular Movement party voting it down and the Socialists supporting it. At that time, the Socialists promised to make the matter a priority should they gain the government in upcoming elections. During his campaign, Socialist Party candidate, and now president, François Hollande, declared his support for same-sex “marriage” and adoption by homosexual partners.
Bertinotti’s comments follow those of Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who said on Friday, “The right to marriage and adoption for all would be put into place” at some time during Hollande’s five-year term.
New legislation will brush aside the civil solidarity pact (pacte civil de solidarité, or PACS) that had provided for nearly all the same rights and privileges as natural marriage, and in some areas allowed same-sex partners to have ceremonies identical to those performed for civil marriages.
Homosexualist activists were jubilant, with the news coming in time for “gay pride” events. “This is a special parade, because it is the first time we have a government, a president, a parliament who are in favor of progress,” said Nicolas Gougain, spokesman for the gay rights group Inter-LGBT.
Homosexualist activists were jubilant, with the news coming in time for “gay pride” events. “This is a special parade, because it is the first time we have a government, a president, a parliament who are in favor of progress,” said Nicolas Gougain, spokesman for the gay rights group Inter-LGBT.
