French Senate Votes To Legalize Same-Sex Marriage

Not quite a done deal, but close

After voting earlier this week on a crucial article for passing marriage equality, the French Senate voted early Friday morning to approve a law allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.

The bill will return to France's National Assembly for a second reading before becoming law, but many in the Republic view this additional session as a technicality since the article legalizing gay marriage will no longer be debated. France would be the world's thirteenth country to legally recognize same-sex marriage and the ninth in Europe.

The road to marriage equality has not been easy, where legislative votes have clearly split along party lines. Right-wing senators stalled the bill's passage by introducing hundreds of amendments, delaying the final vote. After seven days of prolonged debates, the law finally passed, 179-157.