France approves gay marriage
April 12, 2013![Demonstrators march through the streets of Paris in support of the French government's draft law to legalise marriage and adoption for same-sex couples, January 27, 2013. Sign reads, "Liberty Equality for All". REUTERS/Christian Hartmann (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION)](https://static.dw.com/image/16554111_800.webp)
The French Senate approved legislation legalizing gay marriage on Friday, two months after the National Assembly had voted in favor of the bill in its first reading.
The legislation grants homosexual couples the same marriage and adoption rights as heterosexual couples. But it has faced stiff opposition, with anti-gay marriage rallies drawing some 300,000 people in January and March. Catholic, Jewish and Muslim groups had also spoken out against the legislation.
Socialist President Francois Hollande had promised to legalize gay marriage during his campaign against conservative Nicolas Sarkozy. A handful of European countries have fully legalized same-sex marriage: Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
Both houses of France's parliament still have to vote on changes made to the bill by the Senate during a second reading.
slk/rg (AP, AFP, dpa)