The mayor of the southern Paris suburb of Villejuif will officiate at a marriage between two men on Saturday, although the union will get no legal recognition.

"/> The mayor of the southern Paris suburb of Villejuif will officiate at a marriage between two men on Saturday, although the union will get no legal recognition.

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Gay wedding ceremony aims to push law change

The mayor of the southern Paris suburb of Villejuif will officiate at a marriage between two men on Saturday, although the union will get no legal recognition.

Published: 9 February 2012 08:42 CET
Gay wedding ceremony aims to push law change

Same sex marriage is illegal in France, although Socialist presidential candidate François Hollande has made changing the law one of his manifesto promises if he is elected.

The communist mayor of the town, Claudine Cordillot, hopes the symbolic marriage will help advance the cause of same sex marriage in France.

In January 2011, the country’s highest authority on the constitution, the Conseil Constitutionnel, ruled that “marriage is the union of a man and a woman.”

The issue was brought to parliament in June 2011 but MPs voted against a proposal to change the law by 293 votes to 222.

An opinion poll for Le Parisien newspaper in January found that 63 percent of French people are in favour of granting marriage rights to same sex couples.

There are still strong voices against the proposal in France, with at least one candidate for the presidency, Christine Boutin of the christian-democratic party, firmly against. 


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SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Same-sex couples can marry from July 1st in Switzerland

Same-sex couples will be permitted to get married in Switzerland on July 1st, 2022, nine months after a historic referendum.

Published: 18 November 2021 10:01 CET
Two grooms in suits with red heart balloons stand in front of a large heart which reads 'Same love, same rights' in German. Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
Two grooms in suits with red heart balloons stand in front of a large heart which reads 'Same love, same rights' in German. Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

On September 26th, 2021, Switzerland voted to legalise same-sex marriage, becoming one of the last countries in western Europe to do so. 

Nine months after the vote, the “marriage for all” law will enter into force as of July 1st, 2022, the Federal Council announced.

From this date on, gay couples will be able to marry, though the preparatory procedure for marriage can be started before this date.

Same-sex couples will also be able to convert their registered partnership into marriage: a simple joint declaration to a civil status officer will suffice to convert a current partnership.

READ MORE:UPDATE: Swiss voters say big ‘yes’ to same-sex marriage

This law will be enacted after 64 percent of Swiss voters backed the move in a September 26th nationwide referendum.

Lengthy battle

Switzerland decriminalised homosexuality in 1942, but numerous local and regional police forces continued to keep “gay registers”, some into the early 1990s.

Same-sex couples can already register a civil partnership, with around 700 established each year.

However, this status does not provide the same rights as marriage, including for obtaining citizenship and the joint adoption of children.

READ MORE: ‘Deviance and morality’: The history of the same-sex marriage movement in Switzerland

After years of debate and discussion, the Swiss parliament approved a bill last December allowing same-sex couples to marry in the country of 8.6 million people.

But it was challenged under Switzerland’s direct democracy system, with opponents gathering the 50,000 signatures needed to put the issue to a referendum.

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