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France Becomes 14th Nation to Approve Same-Sex Marriage

On April 23, 2013, the lower house in France's National Assembly voted 331 to 225 in favor of same-sex marriage. The legislation was expected to be approved quickly by the Constitutional Council and signed into law by President François Hollande. The vote made France the 14th nation in the world to pass legislation for same-sex marriage.

President Hollande backed the law despite months of protests against it. Opposition to what was referred to as the "marriage for all" law came from Roman Catholics in the country's rural areas, conservative politicians, as well as Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders. Violence against the gay community increased in the weeks leading up to the vote. Once the vote passed, Justice Minister Christiane Taubira called the new legislation "very beautiful reform."

See also French dependencies.
See also Encyclopedia: France .
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: France
National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) (In French only) www.insee.fr/fr/home/home_page.asp .
National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED) www.ined.fr .