Gay rights France: After marriage equaly, what's next? - French nnectns

Contents:

• FRENCH GAY UPL GET RIGHT TO 'MARRY, ADOPT CHILDREN'
• GAY RIGHTS FRANCE: AFTER MARRIAGE EQUALY, WHAT'S NEXT?
• FRANCE OVERLED ON GAY ADOPTN
• FRENCH HIGH URT GRANTS NEW RIGHTS TO GAY PARENTS
• PROCR FOR GAY COUPL LOOKG TO ADOPT

FRENCH GAY UPL GET RIGHT TO 'MARRY, ADOPT CHILDREN'

In June, France was wrapped ntroversy after two regnal adoptn agency officials ma disparagg remarks about same-sex upl: one sayg that agenci would always favor heterosexual upl over homosexual on, and another that same-sex upl were “atypil” and should be prepared to adopt “atypil” children – those who are olr or wh disabili. Jt, who was adopted himself, knew how long the procs uld last – for all upl, gay or straight – and didn’t want to durg one of the terviews halfway through the lengthy, paperwork-tensive procs, Jt says, “A psychologist told , ‘In any se, you’ll never adopt France. But social norms and a relig history rooted nservative Catholicism have prevented LGBT upl om exercisg the rights to which they are legally June, France was wrapped ntroversy after two regnal adoptn agency officials ma disparagg remarks about same-sex upl – one sayg that agenci would always favor heterosexual upl over homosexual on, and another that same-sex upl were “atypil” and should be prepared to adopt “atypil” children – those who were olr or wh ments have dredged up latent discrimatn a untry that thought had progrsed further than that, and have forced French society to look ward for solutns.

“In terms of homosexualy general, France is still que nservative even when to acceptg same-sex marriage, ” says Sébastien Chv, a French soclogist who studi genr and sexualy at the Universy of Lsanne. The fluential “Manif pour To” (Prott for All) aln that has led anti-gay-marriage and -adoptn protts sce 2012 is chiefly Catholic.

While parts of the Catholic Church have embraced homosexuals and their partnerships, the official le remas agast such is often a problem for same-sex upl adoptn proceedgs. ”In addn, there are statistilly fewer children to adopt France than the US, so that when fay anizatns are prented wh multiple dossiers – cludg heterosexual and homosexual upl – the heterosexual upl ually w observers agree, however, that the swiftns wh which the public and the ernment reacted to the ntroversial adoptn statements June is an ditor of progrs ma.

GAY RIGHTS FRANCE: AFTER MARRIAGE EQUALY, WHAT'S NEXT?

Un uple homosexuel marié pt déposer njotement une man d’agrément près du nseil général af pouvoir adopter un pupille l’Etat ou un enfant origaire d’un pays étranger.

Image ptn, At prent, only married upl and not civil unn partners n adopt FranceGay upl France will be allowed to get married and to adopt children as of 2013, Prime Mister Jean-Marc Ayrlt has announced announcement was part of a keynote speech outlg the new Socialist ernment's five-year plan. A number of European natns cludg Germany, Swen and Bra already allow gay prent only married upl - not civil unn partners - n adopt France. A survey rried out at the begng of the year showed 63% of French people are favour of gay marriage while 56% support gay nfirmatn of the new law me only days after Paris held s annual Gay Pri para, which this year was buoyed by the new erment's promise to legalise gay marriage and adoptn a symbolic gture, French Mister for Fai Domique Bertotti turned out to see the para floats set off.

FRANCE OVERLED ON GAY ADOPTN

European natns allowg gay adoptn clu Belgium, Denmark, Fland, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spa, Swen and on this story.

A man wears a stume readg "Dad" and "Mom" durg a monstratn agast gay marriage and adoptn by same-sex upl Nice, France, October.

FRENCH HIGH URT GRANTS NEW RIGHTS TO GAY PARENTS

Thoands of supporters of same-sex marriage took to the streets Paris last weekend support of the ernment's plans to legalize marriage and adoptn for gay upl.

Parisian Eric Robichon voic a monly heard viewpot: "I thk gay upl should have the same rights as heterosexual upl, like matters of herance. " The absence of a relig tone to the French protts seems strange to someone ed to the Bible-centric, Amerin opposn to gay marriage. Jt Sullivan / Getty ImagThe European Court of Human Rights' latt lg on adoptn was hailed by gay rights anizatns France and across Europe for takg on one of the many kds of discrimatn homosexuals face ordary life.

Gay and lbian groups say opens the way for legal challeng other European stat wh adoptn laws siar to those of France — yet falls well short of a blanket lg that would oblige all untri to allow adoptn by homosexuals.

PROCR FOR GAY COUPL LOOKG TO ADOPT

The urt flted the French urts for cg "the lack of a paternal referent the hoehold", and said the woman's homosexualy had been "if not explic, at least implic" France's rejectn of her adoptn requt. "French law allowed sgle parents to adopt a child, thereby openg up the possibily for adoptn by a sgle homosexual, " the judgment found. Gay rights anizatns France and across Europe hailed the lg for takg on one of the ma kds of discrimatn homosexuals ntue to face.

Franck Tanguy, spokman for France's Associatn of Gay and Lbian Parents, says "this lg is a step the right directn" that "requir untri that, like France, allow sgl to adopt children to treat unmarried homosexual and heterosexual applints exactly the same manner. " Failure to do so any untry wh such legislatn, Tanguy says, means they'd "fd themselv nmned aga and aga for discrimatn by the many sgle homosexuals who'd e this precent to base a legal fense on". However, Tanguy regrets the lg "won't change anythg untri that don't allow any sgl to adopt, nor force natns that don't allow homosexual upl to adopt to change their laws".