France: marriage bill defeated

France: marriage bill defeated

French lawmakers have rejected a bill to legalise same-sex marriage that was put up by the country’s opposition Socialist Party.

The French National Assembly voted 293 to 222 to defeat the bill.

France currently recognises same-sex relationships as civil pacts but does not allow same-sex couples to adopt.

Opinion polls have consistently shown around 60 percent support for same-sex marriage for the last five years, and supporters fear the country is slipping behind neighbours Belgium and Spain in regards to GLBTI rights.

Earlier this year France’s Constitutional Court found that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage did not violate the constitution and passed the issue back to lawmakers.

The Socialist Party has promised to legalise same-sex marriage should it win the next Legislative Assembly elections due in June 2012.

You May Also Like

Comments are closed.