France became the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage on Saturday after President Francois Hollande signed the measure into law following months of bitter political debate.
Hollande acted a day after the Constitutional Council threw out a legal challenge by the right-wing opposition, which had been the last obstacle to passing the bill into law. The legislation also legalises gay adoption. But while gay rights groups hailed the move, opponents of the measures have vowed to fight on.
Hollande made “marriage for all” a central plank of his presidential election campaign last year. On Friday, he tried to turn the page on months of bitter Opposition to the measures, arguing it was “time to respect the law and the Republic”.
And he warned that he would tolerate no resistance. “I will ensure that the law applies across the whole territory, in full, and I will not accept any disruption of these marriages,” said the president.