France Legalizes Gay marriage despite vocal and angry Opposition

Controversial legislation establishing marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples cleared final passage in France on April 23 after a 331 to 225 vote in the Left-controlled parliament. But the protests it has prompted in recent months aren’t likely to fade any time soon. As France’s opposition conservatives promise to mount legal challenges to block the law’s application, leaders of the well-organized and vocal groups who’ve fought the measure will continue denouncing it as an attack on matrimony and the traditional family unit.

The French lower house of parliament on Tuesday passed the so-called “Marriage for All” bill, which opens marriage and adoption to same-sex couples with identical rights previously limited to heterosexual unions. That vote which was largely split down left-right lines makes France the ninth European Union member and the 14^th nation in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. Opponents decried the legislation which issued from one of Socialist President François Hollande’s main campaign promises as deforming time honored definitions of marriage, and endangering children by permitting gay and lesbian couples to adopt. French public opinion was mixed: polls have consistently shown around 60% of people favoring legalization of same-sex marriage, with a small majority opposed to adoption rights accompanying that reform.