Pink pride in Paris

RIOT-POLICE vans lined up outside the National Assembly. Militant protesters were put under close police protection. But this week’s scenes outside the French parliament had nothing to do with Mali or counter-terrorism. The cause was a bill to legalise gay marriage and adoption which parliament began to debate in a marathon sitting on January 29th. The bill has stirred divisive passions, provoking the biggest street demonstrations so far in François Hollande’s presidency.

Unmarried couples, gay or otherwise, can already enter a civil union in France, by becoming pacsé. But such unions do not guarantee the same rights as marriage, notably on inheritance and pensions. The new law, a campaign promise of Mr Hollande’s, would allow gay couples to marry and to adopt. Christiane Taubira, the justice minister, says it is about “marriage for all”, not “gay marriage”, since it entrenches equality before the law regardless of sexual orientation. Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, the minister for women’s rights, terms it a matter of “historic progress”.

Catholic by tradition but secular by law, France is tolerant when it comes to private family choices. Mr Hollande is not married to the “first girlfriend”, Valérie Trierweiler, nor was he to his previous partner, Ségolène Royal, with whom he has four children. While in office, his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, divorced his second wife and took a third. Only 6% of the French now say they go to church every week, down from 35% in 1961. Many young people see legalising gay marriage as a matter of commonsense tolerance, splitting some families along generational lines.

The bill has prompted unusual division. In early January as many as 1m opponents, many of whom had never taken part in a manif before and came up from the provinces by coach, descended on Paris, oddly in a sea of pink. Their unofficial spokeswoman, who calls herself a “Catholic humorist” and goes by the exquisite pseudonym Frigide Barjot, is demanding that the law be scrapped and a referendum held. Two weeks after the antis marched, 400,000 supporters took their turn, drums pounding and rainbow flags waving, to come out in favour of the bill.

Some antis argue that weddings and procreation should be inseparable, and are against gay marriage on principle. A more widespread reservation is over adoption by gay couples. One poll by YouGov suggests that 59% of the French approve of gay marriage, but only 40% of gay adoption. Some antis also fret that this law could open the way to legalising, for instance, surrogate motherhood or state-financed fertility treatment for gay couples. On January 25th Ms Barjot met Mr Hollande to press her case.

Political support for the bill splits along left-right lines. Only a few voices on the left, such as Sylviane Agacinski, a philosopher married to Lionel Jospin, who introduced civil unions (pacs) when he was prime minister, are against. Most of the right is opposed, including the two leadership rivals in the UMP party, Jean-François Copé, who joined the antis’ march, and François Fillon, a former prime minister. The left suspects the right of whipping up opposition so as to unify the UMP. The right accuses Mr Hollande of creating unnecessary social tension to affirm his left-wing credentials and deflect attention from job losses and economic woes.

Mindful of the bill’s sensitivity, parliament is holding two whole weeks of debate, including nights and weekends. The opposition has put forward over 5,000 amendments, some more serious than others. One, by a far-right politician, would legalise polygamy, on the ground that the new law is supposed to ensure equality in marriage yet would discriminate against those with multiple partners. Still, with the Socialists’ solid parliamentary majority, the law is likely to pass, making France the 12th country to legalise gay marriage, alongside the Netherlands, Argentina, South Africa and Spain.