France Becomes Fourteenth Country to Legalize Gay Marriage

Vote follows recent gay marriage laws in New Zealand and Uruguay

In a vote Tuesday afternoon French parliament elected to become the fourteenth country to legalize gay marriage, following a pattern initiated by Uruguay two weeks ago and New Zealand last week.

The legislation extends marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples. The Independent reports:

The National Assembly voted by 331 to 225 to accept a slightly amended text of the gay-marriage law passed by the upper house, or Senate, earlier this month. If the law survives, as expected, a centre-right challenge in the Constitutional Council, it could be signed into law by President Francois Hollande by the end of May.

France becomes the 14th country to legalize same-sex marriage, joining the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, South Africa, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Argentina, Portugal, Iceland, Denmark, and most recently Uruguay and New Zealand.

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