France has become the 14th nation in the world to pass a law extending marriage to same sex couples. MPs voted by 331 to 225 in favour of the measure, which also allows gay couples to adopt children. Violence and threats have been rife throughout the debate, and minutes before the historic vote, a protester dressed in pink, the colour adopted by those opposed to the measure, was forcibly removed from the chamber. The debate has led to violent clashes on the streets of France, which organisers of the opposition coalition blamed on far-right extremists infiltrating their marches. Gay rights groups say there has been three times the level of homophobic violence since the debate began.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 24th April 2013 - 9:36am