In France, six months after the legalization of same-sex marriage, the first divorce of a gay couple has been registered. According to La Depeche, the marriage between two men was dissolved on Monday, October 28. The names of the former spouses and the reason for their discord have not been disclosed. It is known that they got married only four months ago in Toulouse.
France's Ministry of Justice could not confirm whether this divorce is indeed the first, as 'there are no statistics on the sexual orientation of divorced persons.' Representatives of LGBT movements noted that this is the first divorce in their memory.
Meanwhile, in November, the Paris High Court will consider a divorce request from another couple, this time between women. The divorce process promises to be amicable, as the decision was mutual, reports Le Parisien. As local journalists were told in court, their application was filed on October 2 by lawyer Remy Rubaudo, who represents both women. The couple married in the United States in 2011. The spouses separated last summer.
The law allowing same-sex marriage will enable them to obtain an official divorce. To do this, they first ensured that their marriage, contracted abroad, became official in France.
The new law allows such a procedure. Now they have filed for divorce. As their lawyer stated, this was done for safety. According to him, the marriage, even if registered abroad, could cause them various difficulties later, especially if one of the spouses has debts.
According to Le Figaro, after the legalization of same-sex marriage, 510 couples married in Paris alone. According to polls, by the end of 2013, nearly 1,500 gay couples will be registered in 20 major French cities.
After the adoption of the same-sex marriage law, several mayors of French cities refused to enforce it. They stated that it contradicts their constitutional right – freedom of conscience.
Earlier in October, the Constitutional Council of France ordered mayors to register same-sex marriages. The Council ruled that the law does not contradict freedom of conscience, reports La Presse. For refusing to register a same-sex marriage, mayors face up to five years in prison and a fine of more than $105,000. Now the mayors intend to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. In support of their arguments, the mayors cite opinion polls according to which 54% of French people support them.
Based on materials from Gazeta.Ru