Love and Smoke for All!

Gay marriage has passed its last hurdle in France! Yesterday, the Assembly voted in favor of legalizing by a margin of 331-225, after a disruption by a protestor in pink (which is, to the great confusion of all Americans, the color worn by the anti-gay marriage side). It may have taken them a while to give women the vote, but they're in the vanguard on this issue: France is the 14th country to legalize gay marriage and well ahead of the US, with the first same-sex marriages expected in June. There goes my "twenty years behind" theory.

We bring Gigi and Pippa to the party, which takes place, not coincidentally, in the square in front of the 4th arrondissment's administrative building. I say it's not a coincidence because the 4th arrondissment, or Marais, is widely known as the "gay district," like the Castro in San Francisco.

 

It appears the Parisian young, gay community represented in the square also wants the right to die of lung cancer. Besides being littered with champagne and wine bottles (all drunk openly in front of the police, who clearly don't care about container laws), the square is also chock full of smoke. I'm amazed I can take photos through the haze.

 

Here are some signs of the times, with translations:



Ligue des droits de l'Homme = League of the Rights of Man (in the Mankind sense)

Osez le Féminisme = Dare to be Feminist

Procréation Médicalement Assistée: L'Egalite N'Attend Pas = Medically Assisted Procreation: Equality Won't Wait

And my personal favorite:

Je veux le droit d'epouser Jodie Foster ou David Bowie. = I want the right to marry Jodie Foster or David Bowie.

 

Even through the cloud of smoke, the clanking underfoot of bottles, and the crunching underfoot of plastic cups, the party is a really wonderful thing to see -- joyous and boisterous. However, I have to say that when it happens in the US, I am sure the Castro will be a whole lot crazier than this, and there will be a whole lot more costuming (wedding dresses and tuxes), kissing (very little PDA here), and controversy. Perhaps it's because it was a foregone conclusion, or perhaps it's because they're cool and French, as evidenced by the number of striped boat shirts.

There are, as you would expect, plenty of news organizations out with the revelers.



And, this morning, I read in the news that there were some protests last night as well, which involved anti-gay marriage advocates throwing things at police officers, who then retaliated by throwing gas canisters in the crowd. It looks like there were a few isolated protests in Paris and Lyon, or at least only those were significant enough to report. I do see one article about how the passage of the law is making some gay people suddenly have to come to terms with the fact that they will soon have a Mother-in-Law. Hard-hitting journalism at its finest.

Today, I don't see one sign, one rainbow flag, or any indication of the historic vote. I do see people out in throngs, happy, and celebrating...the gorgeous weather we are suddenly having. I can't wait to see the effect (if any) on the streets of Paris when the first marriages actually take place.