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Support decreases for gay marriage in France but supporters defiant

A poll out Saturday showed that the number of French people who support gay marriage is going down, ahead of a bill pushing for its legalisation is presented to the cabinet on Wednesday.

Reuters
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The poll published in Le Parisien/Aujourd’hui en France revealed that 58 percent of people were for legalising gay marriage, versus 63 percent in 2011. Those in favour of allowing gay couples to adopt has also gone down, from 50 to 56 percent last year.

Groups against gay marriage and adoption added fuel to the fire on Saturday, calling for protests on 17 November across the country. Baptised “A Protest for All,” organisers want parliament to block the proposed law, to avoid what would be a “huge and dangerous move.”

Protests against the bill have sprung up around the country, such as the country-wide demonstrations held on 23 October when an estimated 700 people protested in the capital.

But a mayor in Hantay, in the north of France, gave gay marriage supporters hope on Saturday, by announcing that she would preside over a marriage between two women on 10 November if the bill was accepted.

Socialist Mayor Désirée Duhem said the young couple had already planned to hold the ceremony and transformed their plans when news of a possible legalisation of gay marriage was announced.

Legalisation of the ceremony wouldn't come immediately, but Duhem said she hoped the government would "indulge" them.

Once the bill passes before the French cabinet, it will be presented to parliament in January. The original date of mid-December was pushed back to allow for more time to finalise details of the proposed law.

Minister of Family Dominique Bertinotti has said that he is confident in the intelligence of the parliament: "You’ll see, we will have a wonderful societal law that will be able to accommodate a maximum of family situations.”

The proposed law would allow gay couples to adopt, as well as allow both parents in a gay couple to have legal rights to their children, regardless of which one is the biological parent.

Legalising gay marriage was one of President François Hollande’s campaign promises before his election in May.

 

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