The French National Assembly On Tuesday
gave its final approval to a bill legalizing marriage and adoption
for gay and lesbian couples.
The measure received slightly greater
support than a previous vote in February despite a week's worth of
protests in the streets of Paris by opponents. The bill cleared the
chamber with a 331-225 vote.
Opponents vowed to continue their
protest, saying on Sunday that if the bill was approved they would
take their fight to the Constitutional Council and call on the
government to put the issue to a vote of the people.
Police appeared prepared for a riot,
lining up water cannons and hundreds of officers outside the
Assembly.
“This is not a historic day because
France is only now catching up compared to other countries,” Deputy
Noel Mamere told colleagues. “We had to wait until 2013 in fury
and homophobic hatred. We should not be proud of that.”
Deputy Herve Mariton, a member of the
conservative UMP Party, warned that supporters were “provoking
tension” in the country. “Your law is fragile,” he
warned.
The vote is a victory for President
Francois Hollande, who campaigned on the issue of marriage equality.
France becomes the 14th
nation to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, following the
recent additions of Uruguay
and New
Zealand, and the 9th in Europe.
The first weddings are expected to take
place within two months.
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