TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - French has become the 9th European county to legalize same-sex marriage. On Friday, the country’s Constitutional Court rejected appeal filed by opposition and made way for French President Francois Hollande to pass the bill.
"I have made a decision, now it’s time to respect the country's law," he said.
Gay weddings can be done 10 days after the signing of the bill, minister of Parliament Institution Alain Vidales told a TV station in the country, adding that he hoped that the first ceremony could be done before July 1st.
Hollande and his ruling Socialist Party have designed this social reformation since he was elected last year. After a prolonged debate, same-sex marriage and adoption bills were finally approved by the French Senate and the National Council last month.
These bills have met resistance from the left opposition, former President Nicolas Sarkozy, who claimed that they were against the constitution.
However, the Constitutional Court ruled on Friday that same-sex marriage is not against the principles of the constitution and that it does not violate basic rights or freedoms or national sovereignty.
Matters in the family of a same-sex couple, especially those related with rights of children are regulated in the adoption law.
Comedian Frigide Barjot, who has long been a leading proponent of the anti same-sex marriage, condemned the ruling and called it a 'provocation', Hundreds of demonstrators took to the steets in Paris and expessed their disapporival to the rulling made on Friday.
The anti same-sex marriage lobby, supported by the Catholic Church and the conservative opposition, argued that the bills would ruin an important pillar in the society. A poll showed that around 55-60 percent of French citizens support the gay marriage, but only around 50% approve the adoption made by a gay couple.
French is the 14th country in the world that legalizes same-sex marriage, following New Zealand which legalized same-sex marriage last month.
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