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France has often been noted as the country of love (you can’t tell, but we said “country of love” with our thickest French accent). Current president Nicolas Sarkozy might agree so long as love remains between a man and a woman. Follow for more on this story of inégalité. That’s inequality in French. We’re so multilingual.
According to Edge San Francisco, President Sarkozy told conservative French magazine, Le Figaro, that he would not support gay marriage in his re-election platform.
"In troubled times, when our society needs to keep its bearings, I don’t think that it is necessary to blur the image of this essential social institution that is marriage," Sarkozy said.
Nicolas Gougain, spokesman for Inter-LGBT, an umbrella group of 50 French LGBT organizations, told Le Figaro that he was "disappointed but not surprised." Gougain added that Sarkozy’s motive in suppressing gay marriage is to "protect" children. "We believe on the contrary that in order to protect children, it’s necessary to recognize all families,” Gougain commented.
The country does offer gay citizens civil solidarity pacts (PACS), a form of domestic partnership. Citizens in a PACS have most of the same legal protections and rights as marriage….well…minus the right to adopt. Isn’t that kind of a big one?
Sarkozy said that he does not agree with civil unions because it would "tend to harm the institution of marriage."
The President does claim he will support some rights for gays, such as inheritance rights. Perhaps the French population will responds with some votes, just not many.
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