France IDAHO report 2013

The Day’s main event in France was undoubdtedly the announcement from the Constitutional Court that the Same-Sex marriage law was not contravening any constitutional principle. This step was the last one in a long and heated legislative process and May 17 2013 thus enters History as the date on which France joined the other 13 countries where same-sex couples can get married.

Interestingly, the court had withheld the decision for a few days to make the announcement match the Day, clearly underlining the fact that the opposition to the law, which had seen hundreds of thousands of opponents, in their vast majority practicing catholics, take to the street, was an expression of sheer homophobia.
Several ministers also marked the day with an official presentation of the Government’s achievements over its first 6months of mandate, and its future action plan.

 
 
 
 
 
 
From left to Right : Minister for Interior, Minister for Family Affairs, Minister for Women’s Rights, Minister for Development Aid, Minister for Higher Education and Research
As part of the Global Rainbow Flashmob, the country’s largest umbrella organisation inter-LGBT organised a giant concert in Paris which starred pop icon Mika in front of a  20.000-strong crowd.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Act-Up Paris held a gathering in the most central and busy part of the city center’s pedestrian zone to unveil a ‘Wall of Shame’ of international and national figures of homophobia.

 
 
 
 
 
 
The national anti-homophobia organisation ‘SOS-Homophobie’ timed once again the release of its annual report on the situation to coincide with the  Day. Events, including media presentations of the report, were held in some 20 cities accross the country (full list of events).