Thousands join protest against same-sex marriage in France.
A protest demands that François Hollande's socialist government reverse its bill allowing same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples; the "Manif Pour Tous" platform distributed posters with the slogan: "normal is a dad and a mom".
Opera Mundi - Thousands of people participated this Sunday (January 13th) in Paris in a large demonstration demanding that the socialist government of François Hollande backtrack on the bill regarding same-sex marriage and adoption by these couples, which will reach Parliament at the end of the month.
The protesters, who had chartered more than 900 buses, began their journey from three points in the capital at 12:00 local time (10:00 Brasília time), to meet at the large esplanade of the Champ de Mars, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, for a big final celebration.
The "Manif Pour Tous" platform, which called for this protest and the regional demonstrations held in November, took to the streets dressed in pink, white, and blue, distributing posters with messages such as "normal is a mom and a dad."
The group, which banned individual slogans from political parties and religious organizations during the parade, says it does not have a homophobic purpose, but rather to fight so that homosexual unions are not called marriages because, in their understanding, this type of affiliation does not extend to people of the same sex. They also request that the bill be submitted to a referendum.
Without official figures, media outlets estimate that "thousands of people" were at the protest, while the Minister of Social Affairs, Marisol Touraine, stated this Sunday on "Canal+" that "if there were any doubts, there were fewer people" than the 400 expected.
"It's not just the numbers that matter, but the message and the quality with which it is conveyed," said Frigide Farjot, founder of "Manif Pour Tour" and comedian, concerned that children may be "voluntarily deprived of both father and mother" if the law considers them born to two people of the same sex.
According to Nicolas Gougain, spokesperson for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender collective Inter-LGBT, with this type of message, the organizers are playing on "other people's fear," and despite the provocative intentions, the implicit homophobia is unequivocal.