'Marriagephile, not homophobe': Hundreds of thousands protest against gay marriage law in Paris (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

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Published time: January 13, 2013 19:56
Edited time: January 14, 2013 09:21

Demonstrators takes part in a march in Paris, to protest France's planned legalisation of same sex marriage.(Reuters / Philippe Wojazer)

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France, Law, Protest, Sex

Several hundred thousand demonstrators filled the streets of Paris during a protest against President Francois Hollande’s plans to legalize gay marriage later this year. The proposed law would allow same-sex couples to adopt children.

The protesters, many of whom travelled from outside the capital, formed three columns that converged at the Eiffel Tower.

"We love homosexuals but a child must be born from a man and a woman, and the law must respect that,” said Frigide Barjot, the alter ego of comedian Virginie Tellene, the intentionally apolitical face of the protest.

Demonstrators against gay marriage, adoption and procreation assistance gather in the streets of Paris.(Reuters / Benoit Tessier)

Police said at least 340,000 took the streets, with the organizers claiming the figure was closer to 800,000. Five specially chartered trains and 900 buses transported protesters to Paris ahead of the march.

Demonstrators carried placards proclaiming "Born of a man and a woman,", "'Marriagephile, not homophobe" and “A father, a mother for all our children”.

The protests have forged a rare coalition of Christian conservatives, Muslims, and center-right politicians opposed to the plans proposed by the Socialist government in the immediate aftermath of Hollande’s election victory last summer.

"This is an important test for Francois Hollande,” said Jean-Francois Cope, the leader of the center-right UMP party.

Demonstrators, one carrying a baby, gather on the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, to protest France's planned legalisation of same-sex marriage.(Reuters / Mal Langsdon)

The “marriage for all” law is not a mere formality, though many traditionalists have balked at words “woman” and “mother” being replaced by “spouse” and “parent” in official documents. When it comes into force by June, same-sex couples will have the same right to adopt children as heterosexual couples, although the president recently backed down on plans to provide state-assisted artificial insemination for lesbians.

The government has faced stiffening resistance on the legislation, with even moderate opposition accusing Hollande of foregoing public debate on the controversial issue. A similar protest in November attracted 100,000 people.

Polls show that just over half of French people still support gay marriage, but the endorsement has fallen by ten percent since the proposal was initially touted. Most, however, remain opposed to adoption by a gay couple.

Demonstrators against gay marriage, adoption and procreation assistance gather in the streets of Paris, January 13, 2013. (Reuters / Benoit Tessier)

A person holds a placard reading "No to homosexual marriage" during a protest organized by fundamentalist Christians group Civitas Institute against same-sex marriage on January 13, 2013 in Paris. (AFP Photo / Kenzo Tribouillard)

Young protesters on top of a statue hold a banner reading "I know where I come from, I wonder where we go", at the start of a march against same-sex marriage, on January 13, 2013 at Denfert-Rochereau square in Paris. (AFP Photo / Lionel Bonaventure)

Veiled women take part in a march against same-sex marriage on January 13, 2013 in Paris. (AFP Photo / Fred Dufour)

Children hold French national flags as they take part in a march against same-sex marriage on January 13, 2013 in Paris. (AFP Photo / Fred Dufour)

A man shows his disagreement to an old man taking part in a protest against same-sex marriage on January 13, 2013 in Paris. (AFP Photo / Fred Dufour)

Virginie Tellene, known as "Frigide Barjot" sings on stage during a rally against same-sex marriage on the Champs-de-Mars in Paris, on January 13, 2013. (AFP Photo / Thomas Samson)

Young people hold a board reading in French "Free to love" in front of the Eiffel Tower,to protest at the end of a march against same-sex marriage on January 13, 2013 in Paris. (AFP Photo / Miguel Medina)

Comments (137)

Dennis (unregistered) 15.01.2013 00:13

That's true, but in the meantime, homos are ripe for the picking, being low fruit. There's hardly any group left you can hate without being persecuted yourself for hating, so I'll enjoy hating them until the ride is over. They are too easy a target to pass up. Daniel says.....Homosexuali ty is as normal as being left-handed. In 20 years from now, when the biological causes of homosexuality are as clear for homosexuality as they are for left-handedness, red hair or blue eyes...all the people that oppose homosexuality and same-sex marriage will look like the ignorant bigots that they are.

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Tomasz (unregistered) 14.01.2013 23:08

The rise of homosexuality coincides with the rise of womens' rights. When women were mere property and sex objects, things were simpler and men didn't have to think about "What Women Want," "Mars or Venus," or any other such nonsense. Men are basic animals and they want only three things from women: a steak, a clean house, and a good fook on demand 24/7. When women started balking, men became conflicted about their basic instincts and desires and started to deviate from heterosexual impulses. They began to expand their quest for more rewarding openings and experiences. Bottom line, homosexuality is the fault of feminists and feminism and the disasterous effects on the male psyche. Show me a homosexual male and I will show you an emasculated father and a tyrannical mother.

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schmenz 14.01.2013 22:52

After having my stomach filled by the pro-homosexual comments here I can come to no other conclusion: those who are promoting this unspeakable vice have simply taken leave of their senses.

What else can explain it? When folks like "sir spy" and "kamylla" write what they write, in the face of the experience of all human history against them, what other conclusion can we come to other than they have lost their marbles?

And I find that the most ignorant and vitriolic remarks are coming not from those who oppose the homosexual madness, but from those who support it. Their hypocisy stinks to high Heaven. They are extrememely tolerant of men who place their generative organs into other men's execratory organs but extrememly intolerant of those who find this behavior to be utterly sickening and self-destructive. So much for the tolerant crowd.

And their utter ignorance of recorded history, which testifies to entire civilizations that have collapsed as a result of perverted morals means nothing to these defenders of sodomy. Incredible. The twisted hate in them oozes out of every sentence and I know they will not be satisfied until their jackboots are on the throats of every decent man, woman and child who oppose them.

That they will ulitmately lose, however, there is no doubt whatever.

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