The French National Assembly passed the bill Tuesday that legalizes gay marriage and allows same-sex couples to adopt children.
Lawmakers in France took gay marriage one step closer to being legalized in the country by passing a bill that was submitted to the French National Assembly earlier. The bill won 329 votes while 229 votes were cast against it. Ten members were absent and didn't vote. The bill will now be sent for a Senate vote in April when it will finally become a law. If the bill is passed, this would be the biggest step the French government has taken towards gay rights in the last few decades.
A crowd of more than 125,000 demonstrators had taken to the streets of Paris in support of this government-sponsored bill January 28. They carried slogans that read "Equality of rights is not a threat." The procession began from Denfert-Rochereau square in the southern part of the city.
A similar demonstration was carried out last December with more than 340,000 people turning up to support the cause. According to a survey released by the French government Saturday, 63 percent of the French population is in favor of same sex marriage, which is a three percent increase since December.
Polls taken last August showed a two-third majority of the French public favoring the legalization of same-sex marriage. However, this has now dropped to a small majority with people from small towns and religious communities opposing gay marriage.
A similar bill was also passed February 5 by the House of Commons in UK and is now awaiting the House of Lords' verdict. If the bill becomes a law in both these countries, they will be the latest two nations to join the 11 other countries where gay marriage has already been legalized. These countries include The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina and Mexico.
In the United States, gay marriage has been legalized in nine states and the District of Columbia.
