France Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage; French Religious Right Horrified

On May 18th, French President Francois Hollande signed a law allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt, reports the Los Angeles Times. The news comes after France's Constitutional Council approved same-sex marriage legislation passed by French parliament in April, according to France 24. Same-sex marriage has finally become legal after months of heated debate and demonstrations.

LGBTQ rights advocates across the globe have reason to be delighted, as France has become the 9th nation in Europe and the 14th nation worldwide to legalize same-sex marriage. Not surprisingly, anti-LGBTQ voices are disappointed at this turn of events. According to the Los Angeles Times, anti-LGBTQ activist Frigide Barjot complained that France had "changed civilization", calling the law "provocation".

L'institut Civitas, an anti-LGBTQ Catholic organization, was profoundly unhappy about the decision. In a May 17th statement, Civitas lamented that the law would "disfigure" the family, upset the balance of society, and deprive children of "the fundamental freedom and right to have a father and a mother". Legalization of same-sex marriage would contribute to a "culture of death" in France, Civitas claimed. The statement assured readers that a "French Spring" would rise up to defend the family.  

"Un printemps français est en marche qui au lieu de s'essoufler doit se transformer en un profond sursaut puis en un tsunami contre-révolutionnaire.

Dans ces heures les plus sombres de notre histoire, nous prions Notre Dame de France et sainte Jeanne D'arc d'accorder à notre pays de se redresser et de donner à tous les patriotes et catholiques Français le courage de défendre la famille sans défaillir et sans se résigner."

("A French Spring is on that instead of slowing down, must be transformed into a profound burst against a counter-revolutionary tsunami."

In the darkest hours of our history, we pray Our Lady of France and St. Jeanne D'arc to grant our country the means to recover and give all patriots and French Catholics the courage to defend the family, without fail, without resigning.")

Civitas is promoting a May 26th gathering to oppose same-sex marriage via a statement by former senator Bernard Sellier. Outrageously, Sellier's statement called legalization of same-sex marriage an "abuse of power" that would be punished "as in all tyrannies". He insisted that "there can be no true freedom outside the love of God, the Church, the country and the respect for the family founded on the sanctity of marriage."  

"France, le moment est venu de répondre à cette question et d’entreprendre la rénovation des promesses de ton baptême !

Car l’ennemi t’a déclaré la guerre en prétendant supprimer la nature sacrée du mariage. Et cet attentat vient de l’autorité la plus haute de l’Etat dont la mission est en vérité de protéger les fondements de la société au lieu de la détruire ! 

Le pouvoir politique, qu’il soit présidentiel, parlementaire ou populaire ne dispose d’aucune autorité pour modifier la nature même du mariage qui est absolument indisponible. Prétendre le contraire est un mensonge. Le faire est un abus de pouvoir caractérisé qui sera sanctionné comme le sont tôt ou tard toutes les tyrannies. L’annonce publique de ses intentions préalablement à son élection, comme l’avait fait François HOLLANDE avec la mesure 31 de son programme : «J’ouvrirai le droit au mariage et à l’adoption aux couples homosexuels » ne légitime pas plus cette action que n’avait pu le faire pour la politique antisémite d’Hitler la publication de Mein Kampf avant son succès électoral de 1933."

("France, the time has come to address this issue and to undertake the promises of your baptism!

For the enemy has declared war on you, claiming to have taken away the sacred nature of marriage. And this attack has the highest state [on its side] whose mission is indeed to protect the foundations of society, instead of to destroy authority!

Political power, whether presidential, parliamentary or popular has no authority to change the very nature of marriage. To suggest otherwise is a lie. Doing so is an abuse of power that will be characterized as [such] and punished sooner or later as in all tyrannies. The public announcement of his intentions prior to his election and Francois Hollande's [statement]... "I ​​will open the right to marriage and adoption to homosexual couples" does not legitimize the action any more than the anti-Semitic policies in Hitler's publication of Mein Kampf before his election success in 1933.")

Finally, political leaders from France's Union Pour Un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) have voiced their unhappiness. UMP president Jean-François Copé said that the UMP would rewrite laws once it returned to power. Copé planned to attend the May 26th rally against same-sex marriage.  

"Je serai présent le 26 mai. Cette journée sera une occasion de défendre la famille et plus globalement de manifester notre opposition à la politique de François Hollande, qui porte des valeurs à l’opposé des nôtres. Après les manifestations, le rendez-vous suivant sera dans les urnes lors desmunicipales. Quand nous serons revenus au pouvoir, il faudra réécrire ce texte pour protéger la filiation et les droits de l’enfant. Peut-être avec le recours au référendum. J’invite les centaines de milliers de Français qui ont manifesté contre ce texte et les millions de Français qui s’y sont opposés dans leur coeur àtransformer cet engagement sociétal en un engagement politique."

("I will be present on May 26. This day will be an opportunity to defend the family and more generally to show our opposition to the policy of Francois Hollande, who has values ​​opposite to ours. After the demonstrations, the next appointment will be at the polls in the municipalities. When we returned to power, we will rewrite the legislation to protect the rights and parentage of the child. Perhaps with a referendum. I invite hundreds of thousands of French who protested against the legislation and the millions of French who opposed it in their hearts to transform this societal commitment to a political commitment.")

France's Religious Right may be unhappy, but its LGBTQ community has reason to celebrate. May this legislation herald a new era of equality for France's LGBTQ citizens and set a positive example for other countries.