Police in central Paris clashed with right-wing demonstrators protesting the new gay marriage law in France.
French Officials estimate that about 150,000 protestors turned out for a demonstration to “show their continued opposition as well as their frustration with President Francois Hollande,” who signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage earlier this month despite massive protests and strong opposition. The Huffington Post reports the marchers began at three separate points in Paris, “and by early evening they filled the Invalides esplanade just across the Seine River from the Champs Elysees.”
Several hundred protesters clashed with police and journalists as darkness fell, and according to Interior Minister Manuel Valls at least 100 “far-right protesters” were arrested for refusing to leave after the demonstration was finished.
Photo: AP/Thibault Camus
I personally do not support gay marriage. As a person that has spent a lot of time in gay bars and in gay mens groups I can honestly say the gay community has the highest rate of Aids in America . By leaders supporting gay marriage they are perhaps getting a lot of money on the side from some sources or sources. I believe the same goes for Americans while many Americans are no supportive of gay marriage. I truly believe their is no way the majority do. America churches are declining in membership in frightening numbers all across America… Read more »
As I said in my comment above, I fully support marriage equality. It is about a lot more than AIDS. However, I also support your right to your opinion, and to feel the way that you do. But opinion is personal, and what you feel is right for you may not be right for another. Just as what I feel is right for me and my family may not be right for someone else. As far as whether or not the majority of Americans support marriage equality, there are numerous polls and surveys that give you that information. Here are… Read more »
Katheryn, I suspect more folks are going to challenge marriage equality in the near future, since the majority of people are still heterosexual, still raise their kids to get married someday, and still want an opposite sex ‘norm’ in society. Now that it is a reality and it’s tricking into daily life, it’s starting unnerve people. (just in HR alone it’s challenging the legal structure and people are questioning) It’s not anti-gay, but rather strong support of hetero-marriage and traditional family. I could be way off, but this global groundswell of goodmen and goodwomen projects are too big and are… Read more »
Hi Joan! I guess I just have one question…what is a “traditional family” any more?
In the US almost 40% of births are to unwed mothers, and the divorce rate is hovering around 50% for first marriages and even higher for subsequent marriages…so “traditional family” means something very different for different people.
http://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/mapping-unwed-motherhood/
Katheryn, obviously you have pretty good handle on where we are today. These statistics are a by-product of 3-4 decades of divorce and dysfunctional families. And shame on us for letting it happen. We all have a little crow to eat and some personal responsibility for the state of our affairs today. I’ll share my personal beliefs…ogwriter and I had talked at length about this too. (og has wonderful insight if you get a chance to read his stuff, I’ve grown a tremendous amount of respect for him) Psychologists, talk about the circles of influence in our lives: like concentric… Read more »
RIght, 3-4 decades…Meaning the “traditional family” started to fall apart LONG before marriage equality ever became an issue!! I learned about the “circles of influence” in my Developmental Psych classes, and I agree that family has the greatest influence! What I want you to think about though, is the misguided belief that the man-woman relationship is the only way to have a basic family unit. I understand that to procreate “naturally” it has to be a man and an woman, but what about all those men who can’t reproduce? Or women who can’t reproduce? Whether because of infertility, or age,… Read more »
I do agree with your statements about men and women being conditioned to not trust one another though! And with your statements about “independence” and “interdependence” I just don’t think it’s as much about gender as some want to make it. Because men and women are not taught to trust each other any more either…we live in a world that is all about the self and “protecting” the self from everyone else…
You have a lot great questions and comments. I too have seen some pretty toxic relationships and successful ones too. I’ve dealt with a lot of divorced guys and gals, they tell a quite a story. Like I said I’m in support of healing the man-woman relationship and fixing that dissonance between the sexes…because the dysfunction effects all of us. My definition and support for man-woman traditional family, in no way invalidates others’ personal choices. That’s simply where I put my moral compass down and what needs fixing. I also support cleaning our water supply too, since we’ve been mucking… Read more »
It makes perfect sense! And I agree 100% as far as the need to fix the man-woman relationship! It affects everyone and everything, whether you chose to be part of a hetero- or homosexual relationship!
Thank you so much for this conversation! For both taking the time to comment, and to listen calmly and respectfully! Your responses have been thought provoking for sure! If more people could listen to opposing views (on both sides of the debate) so much more could be accomplished!
We, as women, have gained our voice in this world and we have some some serious power to fix what’s broken, if we get our priorities straight. Collectively, women can roar. Problem, why are we roaring at men and not listening? And why are the politicians not listening either? The right and left are stepping all over our CR and have completely ignored the 500lb gorilla in the room. Family has dysfuntioned and hurts all of us. Left is putting in anti-family laws and right is using scripture. They’re in a sound chamber. Someone told me a long time ago… Read more »
Robert, I love your chutzpah and will. It’s fierce. “I tell you if men can not rent in their own ghettos it is better to do or die trying to change it.”
“..should be spending money on keeping households together and perhaps allowing men also to become renters and not allowing the lower classes to be denied access to housing due to their gender and inability to have kids”
I agree we should be investing our resources in keeping families together, but what’s going on with the housing issues??
Kathryn, Nice article and thank you for leaving out the religiosity. This is one of the first articles that handles this topic responsibly. Too often authors automatically jump into Christian-bashing, as if Christians corner the market on heterosexuality. What about Jews, Muslims, Hindus, you mean they don’t take a stand on heterosexual marriage too?
PS. your life partner wouldn’t happen to have the last name starting with a ‘V’?
Joan,
You’re welcome! I try not to make it all about religion when it’s obviously much more than that! There are times, when writing about specific incidents, where it is unavoidable but I agree that too often the focus becomes anti-religion (more specifically anti-Christian) when that is really only a small part of the bigger picture! Many non-Christian nations not only refuse marriage equality but outlaw homosexuality in its entirety, so it is quite obviously not just a “Christian issue.”
And no LOL his last name does not start with a “V” 🙂
This is a huge topic and it has legal ramifications that affect everybody’s daily life. The whole definition of western marriage has changed. I’m not sure I trust politicians thought this through. HR laws are challenged, public schools adminstration is challenged, family law is challenged, parenting, parenting rights, so on and so forth. The problem, anytime someone wants a peaceful discussion or one makes a comment does not support gay marriage, for legal reasons, automatically they’re labled homophobes, haters, or Bible thumpers. Thanks again. Ok, I have long lost friend moved to TX a couple years ago, just thought I’d… Read more »
To me the fight for same-sex marriage equality is the same thing as the fight to legalize interracial marriage in the 60’s, which I might add hits very close to home for me since my partner is Hispanic and I am white.
I fully support marriage equality! I’m sorry if that wasn’t clear! But I also think the opposition to it is about more than just “Christianity” or religion at all!