France legalized gay marriage on Tuesday after a wrenching national debate that has exposed deep social conservatism in the nation's heartland and triggered huge protests in Paris from both sides of the divide. Legions of officers with water cannon braced outside the National Assembly for possible violence on an issue that galvanized the country's faltering right.
The measure passed easily in the Socialist-majority Assembly, 331-225, just minutes after the president of the legislative body expelled a disruptive protester in pink, the color adopted by French opponents of gay marriage.
Justice Minister Christiane Taubira told lawmakers that the first weddings could be as soon as June.
"We believe that the first weddings will be beautiful and that they'll bring a breeze of joy, and that those who are opposed to them today will surely be confounded when they are overcome with the happiness of the newlyweds and the families," she said.
In recent weeks, violent attacks against gay couples have spiked and some legislators have received threats – including Bartelone, who got a gunpowder-filled envelope on Monday.
One of the biggest protests against same-sex marriage drew together hundreds of thousands of people bused in from the French provinces – conservative activists, schoolchildren with their parents, retirees, priests and others. That demonstration ended in blasts of tear gas, as right-wing rabble-rousers, some in masks and hoods, led the charge against police, damaging cars along the Champs-Elysees avenue and making a break for the presidential palace.
So to be clear France legalizes gay marriage while dealing with the possibility of violent protests, and feeling the need to deploy a water cannon, but America cannot pass a marriage equality amendment for fear of the dreaded filibuster, or put into place background check legislation because they are put into the fetal position by the very idea they might get NRA directed phone calls or e-mails.
Land of the brave my ass!
Yeah. The anti-equality folks used their children as shields as they attacked police for not allowing them into a place they'd been told beforehand was off limits. (And then threw verbal swords at the police for going ahead and tear-gassing them anyway, despite the fact that they were using children as shields. Because the COPS were apparently the bad people here, not the protestors encouraging each other to use small children as pawns!)
ReplyDeleteThere have been several attacks on gays and their property.
And of course several huge protests that turned into riots, all of which involved confrontations with the police after the rioters attempted to start shit.
But the equality side is the anti-god/anti-moral side, supposedly.
It came as a shock to many right-wing participants that police didn't spontaneously side with them. They see themselves as the moral high ground, and the party of law and order... if police had sided with them, they sure would have gone for the throat, and they would have attempted to overthrow the government.
DeleteIt's a strange surprise to have gone to sleep "middle right" and to awake finding out that hating gays and gay marriage has become a "far right" marker.
My own catholic mother is pretty confused about it. She's against gay marriage "on account of the children" and she can't deal with being on the same page on that subject that vocal fascists. Now reality feels wrong to her.
What the fuck is wrong with people? Do they really care that much about consenting adults making commitments to each other that they would hurt others and threaten people with death?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if any of those anti-equality people wake up in the middle of the night and think to themselves, "what the fuck am I doing?"
They simply are not intelligent enough for that level of introspection. They do as they are told by their churches or their families and aren't able to form opinions for themselves. They are the 25% of America that is holding us back from being a true world leader.
DeleteWell, to be fair, we are making headway in this country on marriage equality, at the state level. And without violent protests. Slowly, albeit, but steady, nevertheless.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_the_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_of_same-sex_marriage
Several states have bills coming up on their legislative dockets that would allow gay couples to legally marry in their states. Rhode Island’s Senate Judiciary Committee and Delaware’s House are both set to vote on same-sex marriage bills today. Minnesota and Illinois are also engaged in fights over whether to open up marriage to gay couples.
But the biggest news this week comes out of Nevada where Monday night the state Senate voted to repeal an amendment to the state Constitution banning gay marriage and replace it with one requiring Nevada to recognize the practice.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/04/gay-senator-comes-out-as-state-approves-same-sex-marriage/
Here's what's up in the U.S. except Nevada hasn't been updated to show that they voted to remove the ban.
ReplyDeletehttp://abcnews.go.com/US/fullpage/sex-marriage-sex-marriage-status-united-states-state-16715343
Shame on France
ReplyDeleteBan gay marriage everywhere
Shame on YOU for your intolerance and ignorance. Bravo FRANCE! Bravo!
Deleteanon@7:47... suce toi, s'il vous plait!
DeleteI join you in your condemnation of 7:47 Anonymous's attitude.
DeleteI have been married for almost 42 years and would not want to deny that happiness to anyone. If you love someone and they love you in return, that love is a rare gift and should be celebrated and supported regardless of the gender of the spouses. Love is love, period.
I also join you and others in congratulating France. May our country grow up to be as kind and tolerant.
7:47am obviously has trouble with relationships and tries to blame it on the gays.
DeleteIf the protesters in France are the ones shouting "Amerique suce" (America Sucks) I would hand the label back to the protesters over in France as well, because they "suck" in their understanding of human rights.
ReplyDeleteIt is not Amerique suce it is the gays in America that "suce"
DeleteI think that Gryphen is the one saying that America sucks.
DeleteWhy would French people, protesting about a French matter, shout something about America ? And moreover, something negative ? Europe is not Iran. There haven't been any anti-America protests in France in the last 40 years. Anti-Bush protests yes ; anti-USA no.
That picture is so hot.
ReplyDeleteI bet Anon at 7:47 AM has never been kissed like that.
In France they don't shoot each other... Just saying.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Regina!
DeleteWell, sure mostly we don't, but there are criminal assholes everywhere, and gays have been attacked and some have been killed too in France.
DeletePlease read this amazing speech after it passed-
ReplyDeleteHave some tissues ready
http://tinyurl.com/atq3rc4
Come on, America, we can do better!