President Hollande signs bill into law after Constitutional Council dismisses legal challenge by opposition party.
French President Francois Hollande has signed a gay marriage and adoption bill into law, a day after the country's Constitutional Council threw out a legal challenge by the conservative opposition.
Hollande, trying to turn the page on months of bitter opposition to the measures, said it was "time to respect the law and the Republic".
The Constitutional Council approved the bill on Friday, which was also the International Day Against Homophobia.
The ruling cleared the way for France to become the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage.
French deputies approved the bill in parliament last month after a several days of often stormy debate.
Recent polls suggest that opinion in France is fairly evenly split on both gay marriage and adoption.
Conservative challenge
The main opposition UMP party of former President Nicolas Sarkozy immediately challenged the move on constitutional grounds.
Friday's statement by the Constitutional Council, however, said same-sex marriage "did not run contrary to any constitutional principles", and that it did not infringe on "basic rights or liberties or national sovereignty".
The council did say that gay marriage did not automatically mean the "right to a child": the "interest of the child" would be the overriding factor in such cases, it ruled.
Reacting to the ruling Friday, Jean-Francois Cope, UMP party chief, told TF1 television: "It is a decision that I regret, but that I respect."
'Celebration time'
Hollande had given warning that he would brook no resistance.
"I will ensure that the law applies across the whole territory, in full, and I will not accept any disruption of these marriages," he said.
Gay rights groups hailed the decision as a watershed.
"Now it's celebration time," said Nicolas Gougain, spokesman of the LGBT association representing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
Gay rights watchdog SOS Homophobie added: "Our country has taken a great step forward today although it's regrettable that it was taken in a climate of bad faith and homophobic violence."
The issue of gay marriage has divided France, which is officially secular but overwhelmingly Catholic. Protests against the bill drew hundreds of thousands, with a handful of hard-core protesters clashing with police.
Violent protest
Late on Friday, between 200 and 300 protesters gathered in central Paris to denounce the ruling backing the bill and calling on Hollande to resign.
One police officer was injured after a flammable liquid was thrown in his face.
Earlier, a group of bare-chested men wearing white masks staged their own protest against gay marriage on one of the bridges over the Seine. They call themselves the "Hommen" - a riposte to the bare-breasted feminist protesters known as the "Femmen".
Opponents of the law plan another major protest rally in Paris on May 26.
As the French bill got the green light to become law, a report by the European Union's Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) highlighted the problems that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people still face across Europe.
It said two-thirds of the community were still afraid to show their sexuality in public - and a quarter had been victims of physical or verbal attacks.
I cant even believe what im reading...what re they seeking for from the same sex... what is the joy... what is the benefit...wish somebody will answer all those questions for me!

Source: http://www.weyab.com/2013/05/shock-france-legalises-same-sex-marriage.html

Great! Homosexuals are human beings also, i don't see why anyone will be against Gay-Marriage.

Yeah! Naija would be next, we must live and also allow them to exercise their rights.
it has come to stay and there's nothing anyone on this planet earth can do about it.

Its really appalling that the level of Morality has cascaded from its honoured position over the years. Moral principles have nose-dived and now people operate under the guise of free-will. It's just a matter of time before this madness saturates all over the World#SMH

fckyourman:

You don't see anything wrong with Gay-Marriage, Then how would the human race survives.

Are all men and women Gay?!

These western politicians are now beginning to go outside the scope of their mandates by trying to redefine something that has been for thousands of years.

Marriage is between a man and a woman, any attempt to redefine or tamper with it, is playing God.

What I will never understand is why smoking weed is illegal in a country that has legalised gay marriage. If gay people have rights, weed smokers also have right afterall they are adults who can make mature judgement.
Hollande has mismanaged the economy and France is now heading to recession, they should have protested to oust him from office...since he is so good in mismanaging the economy but a very good manager in gay rights..........RUBBISH!!!
Consenting adults my foot!
Why is prostitution now illegal? Is it not a commercial interaction between two consenting adults?
There is nothing progressive about supporting this stupid new wave, it is pure hypocrisy!!!

Van snickers: Great! Homosexuals are human beings also, i don't see why anyone will be against Gay-Marriage.

Following your logic, no one should also be against weed smokers

sakaguchi:
Following your logic, no one should also be against weed smokers

And what is bad about smoking weed.. please enlighten me

Van snickers: Great! Homosexuals are human beings also, i don't see why anyone will be against Gay-Marriage.

Anyone can do whatever they like but I think we are stepping boundaries here. Why can't they create their own institution called a civil union or something. You can't blame heteros for being against it. Also, its a free world and you can do as you like but where I draw the line is when THEY adopt kids or try to raise kids with two women or two men. What happened to the child's right to be raised by a Man and a Woman. They are who they are but we are living in denial if we continue to think that being gay is not abnormal. It is abnormal, should be tolerated BUT DEFINITELY not encouraged

These what i called *True Democracy* not the one we practices here in Naija.

Hahaha...some Nigerians are already protesting this law....not because they thot it to be that bad but cos the government didn't deem it fit to legalize weed. Partiality.

On a more serious note, it has never been a big deal to cohabitate explicitly with the people of same sex over there. Problem is marriage will enable them adopt kids of other people.

Most of those who oppose the bill in the west are known to enjoy gay sex. However, they think it shouldn't be fused with family setting.

I guess its time to begin to move on. Times are changing!

Crassus:

And what is bad about smoking weed.. please enlighten me

My guy! Don't get me wrong,
Smoking of weed by a consenting adult does not affect other people, but it is illegal in France, why would they now legalize gay marriage because it is being done by consenting adult.
If they must legalize gay marriage, they should legalize smoking of weed and stop all the hypocrisy.

A-town:


Anyone can do whatever they like but I think we are stepping boundaries here. Why can't they create their own institution called a civil union or something. You can't blame heteros for being against it. Also, its a free world and you can do as you like but where I draw the line is when THEY adopt kids or try to raise kids with two women or two men. What happened to the child's right to be raised by a Man and a Woman. They are who they are but we are living in denial if we continue to think that being gay is not abnormal. It is abnormal, should be tolerated BUT DEFINITELY not encouraged

What exactly is wrong with gay parents raising a Child?!

http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Supports-Same-Gender-Civil-Marriage.aspx

This is a Report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which shows their full fledged support for same-sex Unions.

sakaguchi:
My guy! Don't get me wrong,
Smoking of weed by a consenting adult does not affect other people, but it is illegal in France, why would they now legalize gay marriage because it is being done by consenting adult.
If they must legalize gay marriage, they should legalize smoking of weed and stop all the hypocrisy.

Before any bill is passed, researches, opinions and votes must have been sought after from the lawmakers and the people.

Votes and opinions to legalize weed in France will have no inpact as those in support are a very tiny minority.

sakaguchi:
My guy! Don't get me wrong,
Smoking of weed by a consenting adult does not affect other people, but it is illegal in France, why would they now legalize gay marriage because it is being done by consenting adult.
If they must legalize gay marriage, they should legalize smoking of weed and stop all the hypocrisy.

.....una c wetin weed d cause?

Van snickers:

What exactly is wrong with gay parents raising a Child?!

http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Supports-Same-Gender-Civil-Marriage.aspx

This is a Report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which shows their full fledged support for same-sex Unions.

Logically, I think there's everything wrong with it.

The individuals who contributed sperm (man) and eggs (woman) should be the ones with the rights to raise a child. There's a reason nature had it that way.

But to be fair on you, the logic is a bit flawed knowing that about half of the children in most western countries are being raised by single parents. That's worst to me....kind of.

Nuzo':


Before any bill is passed, researches, opinions and votes must have been sought after from the lawmakers and the people.

Votes and opinions to legalize weed in France will have no inpact as those in support are a very tiny minority.

Look at this man! Who told you weed does not have impact on its users.....na wa for you O!!

Van snickers:

What exactly is wrong with gay parents raising a Child?!

http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Supports-Same-Gender-Civil-Marriage.aspx

This is a Report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which shows their full fledged support for same-sex Unions.

If they were meant to raise kids, then nature would havemade it possible for them to conceive.
The child has a fundamental right to raised properly. Children are primitive. A baby adopted by gay parents May grow up and choose to be gay simply because of influences from its upbringing and not necessarilly because it is gay..They have no business raising kids. If two men or two women can create their own baby without help from the opposite sex, then they can raise that child. Until then, no freakn way

Lord forgive dem 4 d don't knw wat d re doin

signs of end time

Great Move!!! It's only an illiterate that would see something wrong at making your sexual preference and Taste

Illuminati. Nigeria is more than u

Very soon the foolish government and those reprobates would be scrambling for the sanctioning of bestiality and marraige between man and animal all in the name of live and let's live......

And foolish nigerians here on nairaland are in support of this rotten arrangement called gay marraige..........

A-town:


If they were meant to raise kids, then nature would havemade it possible for them to conceive.
The child has a fundamental right to raised properly. Children are primitive. A baby adopted by gay parents May grow up and choose to be gay simply because of influences from its upbringing and not necessarilly because it is gay..They have no business raising kids. If two men or two women can create their own baby without help from the opposite sex, then they can raise that child. Until then, no freakn way

So according to you, barren women, impotent men, and old people have no right to adopt and raise kids, since nature is not in their favor? Where do you geniuses come up with these rules? How do you know nature's laws?

wow wow wow ....cant believe first time my post is making front page on nairaland this call for celebration with our soldiers hahahaha .. please i only have two cups...one for me and the other is for any first girl to grap me...

Van snickers: Great! Homosexuals are human beings also, i don't see why anyone will be against Gay-Marriage.

you shocked me!!!

jamst: signs of end time

yes dear, real sign