Gay rights in France

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France has traditionally been fairly tolerant in matters of private morality including homosexuality and this is reflected in the country's progressive legislation.

Contents 1 Laws against homosexuals 2 Protection based on sexual orientation in law 3 Hate Crime Laws 4 Recognition of same sex couples 5 Gay life in the country 6 Opinion 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] Laws against homosexuals

Before the French revolution, sodomy was a serious crime handled by the religious courts. The first French Revolution abolished the religious courts and the subsequent criminal code of 1791 made no mention of sexual relations between consenting adults in private. This libertarian policy on private sexual conduct was kept in the Napoleonic Code of 1810 and remained unchanged until World War II under the (Vichy regime) when an age of consent for homosexuality was raised to 21, while the age for heterosexuality remained at 13. In 1945 the age of consent for heterosexuality was raised to 15. In 1974 the age of consent for homosexuality was lowered to 18, and in 1982 the age of consent for homosexuals and heterosexuals conduct was equalized at fifteen.

[edit] Protection based on sexual orientation in law

Any discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment or service, public or private, has been prohibited since 1985. Gays and lesbians are free to serve in the Armed Forces.

[edit] Hate Crime Laws

In December 2004, the National Assembly approved legislation which made homophobic or sexist comments illegal. The maximum penalty of a €45,000 fine and/or 12 months imprisonment has been criticized by civil liberty groups such as Reporters Without Borders as a serious infringement on free speech. But the conservative government of President Jacques Chirac pointed to a rise in anti-gay violence as justification for the measure. Ironically, an MP in Chirac's own UMP party, Christian Vanneste, became the first person to be convicted under the law in January 2006.

[edit] Recognition of same sex couples

Civil Solidarity Pacts (PACS), a form of registered domestic partnership, were enacted in 1999 for both same-sex and unmarried opposite-sex couples. Couples who enter into a PACS contract are afforded most of the legal protections and responsibilities of marriage. Unlike married couples, they are not allowed to file joint tax returns until after 3 years, even though this is repealed as of 2005, and joint tax returns can be filed immediately. The right to joint adoption and artificial insemination are also denied to PACS partners, even though there are proposal to extent PACS rights and make them more similar to marriage.

[edit] Gay life in the country

French social mores tend to view sexuality as a private affair, meaning that it should not be a reason for discrimination, but should at the same time remain private. When a French politician declared his homosexuality publicly, the criticism directed at him did not relate to his sexuality as such but rather to the fact that he made his private life public.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Opinion

There are large gay and lesbian communities in the cities, particularly in the Paris metropolitan area. Although homosexuality is perhaps not as well tolerated in France as in Spain, Scandinavia, and the Benelux nations, surveys of the French public reveal a considerable shift in attitudes comparable to other Western European nations. As of 2001, 55% of the French consider homosexuality "an acceptable lifestyle" [1]. Also of note is that the mayor of Paris is gay.

In 2006, an Ipsos survey shows that 62% support gay marriage, while only 37% were opposed. But on the issue of same-sex couples adopting children the survey found opposition with 55% saying gay and lesbian couples should not have parenting rights, while 44% believe same-sex couples should be able to adopt [2].

[edit] See also

• Same-sex marriage in France

[edit] External links

• "Le Marais: The Indifferent Ghetto." Article about the gay neighborhood, Le Marais, in Paris.
• "Alors, are we 'queer'yet." Article about the reception of the word "queer" in France.