France's justice minister says gay marriage is illegal

A gay wedding set to be performed in June by Noel Mamere, mayor of the French town of Begles, will not be recognized by the government because same-sex marriage is illegal in France, said justice minister Dominique Perben on Wednesday. "This wedding will be purely and simply null and void, because it's against the law," Perben told Le Figaro newspaper. Perben said France's civil code governing weddings specifically mentions "husband and wife." "Claiming that the difference of genders between the spouses isn't written in the civil code is therefore a lie," he said. Mamere, a Green Party lawmaker, said he plans to perform the wedding even if he risks sanctions. "I think it would be really sensible if he changes his mind before then," the justice minister said. "It's obvious that [Mamere's plan] is motivated more by a desire to provoke and attract media attention than to respond to the real problems of homosexual people," such as homophobia, he said. A 1999 French law gave unmarried couples, both gay and straight, extensive legal rights if they register their unions with the state. Called PACS, it was pushed through by the former leftist government and created a fierce public debate in France, with opponents claiming it would undermine traditional family values.