Frances FIrst Gay Marriage Causes A Stir
(Bordeaux, France) Bertrand Charpentier and Stephane Chapin were only married a few minutes when the fighting began, and the battle over France's first same-sex marriage could rage on into the next French election.
The couple was married Saturday by Noel Mamere, the mayor of the tiny village of Begles, near Bordeaux under the glare of TV cameras and the scrutiny of reporters from around the world.
"Your marriage is a first, and I hope it will become something normal," said Mamere, who is also Green member of parliament.
Outside the town hall was a collection of well-wishers and detractors.
Several drag queens wearing nuns' habits, vamped-up wedding gowns and bright red lipstick hailed the ceremony as a milestone in human rights. Members of a local Catholic church accused the couple of attacking "the sanctity of marriage".
The wedding went ahead despite threats from France's Justice Minister, Dominique Perben, that the marriage was illegal and Mamere could be charged.
"If we have a message to give, it is be like us, be tolerant, love each other and pursue your dreams to the end," Charpentier, 31, told reporters following the short civil ceremony.
Asked what the couple planned to do next, Charpentier said: "We are going to go and buy a house and get on with our lives."
But within minutes of the ceremony Perben announced the marriage was null and void, and the interior minister said that Mamere would be sanctioned.
The mayor said he had a clear conscience and was just interpreting the law.
"This is not a media operation," Mamere said, adding that he performed the marriage as a gesture toward all those who suffer discrimination "for their skin color, their religion, their social status and also their sexual orientation."
The issue of same-sex marriage is becoming an issue for the opposition Greens and the French Socialist Party as they gear up for this month's European Parliament elections. Both parties have platforms supporting gay marriage. (story)
French law allows civil unions for same-sex couples but denies them full tax and inheritance rights.
A recent survey by Elle magazine showed 64 percent of French people were in favor of same-sex weddings, but when it comes to gay couples adopting the survey showed there was only 49 percent acceptance.
Gay marriage is legal in only two European countries, Holland and Belgium. Three Canadian provinces, Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, allow same-sex couples to marry. The only state in the US to permit gay marriage is Massachusetts.
http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/06/060504frWed.htm
Im sorry but if Gary and I were to get married the last thing we would want is to have several drag queens outside lol
Wonder how the couple feels now they are going to be getting a lot of press attention :eek:
Regards,
Lee
