France to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage in 2013

Photo by Philippe Leroyer via Flickr

France's new socialist government saws that a law granting full marriage status to gay couples will be made in to law by next year.
"Within a year, people of the same sex will be able to marry and adopt children together," Dominique Bertinotti, junior minister for families, told Le Parisien. "They will have the same rights and duties as any married couple."

When this happens, it would bring France, which currently provides only for same-sex civil unions, into line with fellow EU members Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden.