Protesters against same-sex marriage fill central Paris plaza (VIDEO)

(CNN) — Protesters filled Paris’ Esplanade des Invalides on Sunday, rallying against a new law that will allow same-sex marriage in France starting Wednesday. Paris police estimate 150,000 demonstrators marched along three different routes before converging in the sprawling plaza along the Seine River. The arguments against same-sex marriage in France sound similar to those…

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France court ruling clears way for gay bill

(CNN) — France’s top court ruled Friday that a bill permitting same-sex marriage and allowing gay couples to adopt children adheres to the constitution. President Francois Hollande is expected to sign the bill into law on Saturday. After the lower house of Parliament, dominated by Hollande’s governing Socialist Party, passed the bill last month, conservative…

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French lawmakers approve same-sex marriage bill

(CNN) — French lawmakers voted to legalize same-sex marriage Tuesday, despite vocal protests from some conservatives opposed to the step. The nation’s lower house approved a marriage bill, which will also give same-sex couples the right to adopt, in a 331-to-225 final vote. They cast their votes after impassioned speeches by lawmakers for and against…

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Holy Motors

dvd of the week I missed this wildly weird French movie when it was playing in San Diego this fall, but I saw it on DVD this past week and I was amazed. Leos Carax’s hypnotic, fascinating, and somewhat opaque film follows Oscar (Denis Lavant) as he goes from appointment to appointment in Paris, driven…

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American Apparel promises aid in gay marriage fight in France

LOS ANGELES – American Apparel, the vertically integrated clothing manufacturer based in downtown Los Angeles, is launching an initiative to support gay marriage in France. At the request of its French employees who have been eagerly following the country’s efforts to legalize gay marriage, American Apparel will be giving away 10,000 Legalize Gay shirts in…

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