"Both proud and unhappy", François Hollande returns to the difficult adoption of the Taubira law

Romain Rouillard 6:11 p.m., July 30, 2022

On April 23, 2013, same-sex marriage officially became legal in France.

Under the presidency of François Hollande, the Minister of Justice, Christiane Taubira, passed a law authorizing the union between two people of the same sex.

Guest of Bruno Donnet and Stéphanie Loire in "Tandem" on Europe 1, the former head of state returns to the eventful adoption of this text. 

"I was both proud of it and, in a way, a little unhappy," he begins.

"Proud because it was the culmination of a commitment I had made when I appeared before the French for the 2012 presidential campaign. Proud because it was the consecration of a struggle of many associations, women and men who wanted marriage to be recognized at last". 

"Completely intolerable expressions" 

But the former president has not forgotten the sometimes heated debates in the hemicycle around this bill.

He remembers in particular certain "intolerable" remarks, made by some of the opponents of marriage for all.

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"I was unhappy about it because the debate I had wanted had degenerated in the street, there had been processions and processions of demonstrations, first of those who were hostile to it and others who were favorable. There had been in the parliamentary debate completely intolerable expressions, attacks not simply against Taubira, but against homosexuals themselves, which I could not accept, "he recalls.

The former tenant of the Élysée also believes that this law should have been adopted much more quickly.

The role of the opposition

François Hollande then spoke of the role of the opposition at the time which, according to him, could hardly emerge victorious from this logic of "confrontation".

"We wanted there to be a parliamentary debate but the right did not understand that it had much more to lose in the confrontation, the questioning, the denunciation or the false promise, since it had been even going so far as to say that if she ever returned to the responsibilities, she would annul the marriage law. Which was absurd since there were people who would have been married, who could not have been unmarried". 

Finally, the former mayor of Tulle believes that today, "we would no longer see hostile demonstrations".

A way for him to "measure the effects" of this law which will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year.