A mayor who conducted the first gay wedding in France has vowed to continue his fight in spite of a court decision ruling it illegal. Noel Mamere, Mayor of Begles in south-west France, officiated at the "marriage" of two gay men in June 2004. But it was declared illegal by France's highest court on Tuesday. The two men, Stephane Chapin and Bertrand Charpentier, have said they will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Mr Mamere told BBC News he was not surprised by the decision of the Court de Cassation, which confirmed earlier decisions by two lower courts. "It is a part of a conservative conception of marriage", Noel Mamere said. "I have no regrets. I subscribe to this cause and I will persist." The wedding in Begles in June 2004 was the first and only same-sex marriage held in France. France legalised civil partnerships between same sex couples in 1999. Mr Mamere, who is also a Green Party deputy in the National Assembly, sponsored a bill in 2004 to change the civil code to allow gay marriage, but no major party has supported it. Ref: BBC News (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 15th March 2007 - 12:00pm