France Gets With The Times, Allows Gay Couples To Adopt

Just days after Paris’ Gay Pride parade, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has announced that gay couples in France will be allowed to get married and adopt children as of 2013. It’s about time! France joins a number of European nations, including  Germany, Sweden and Britain, that already allow gay adoption. At this point, only married couples, as opposed to civil union partners, can adopt in France.

“In the first half of 2013, the right to marriage and adoption will be open to all couples, without discrimination,” Ayrault told parliament. “Our society is evolving, lifestyles and mentalities are changing. The government will respond to that.”

While many people are celebrating (myself included), it seems not everyone will be pleased with the change. BBC News reports that 63% of French people are in favor of gay marriage while 56% support gay adoption, according to a recent survey. In France, gay people make up 6.5% of the electorate, compared with practicing Catholics at 4.5%.

(Photo: Rikke/Shutterstock)