Demonstration held in France against legalisation of same-sex marriage

Tens of thousands of French families, activists and conservatives converged on the capital on Sunday to try to stop the country from allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.

The lower house of parliament approved a "marriage for everyone" bill last month with a large majority and it's facing a vote in the Senate next month.

Both houses are dominated by French President Francois Hollande's Socialist Party and its allies.
A spokeswoman for the protesters, Frigide Barjot, said it wasn't a lost cause.

"It's not the last battle, it's the second round. And the second round will be stronger than the first, and much less strong than the third. You can't go against the movement of human conscience," she said.

"By legalising marriage, you legalise procreation rights. Marriage is procreation," she said, adding that passing the bill would likely bring about medically-assisted procreation in the future.

Protesters held banners demanding that the French President focus on curbing unemployment rather than passing the bill.

Others chanted "Taubira, resignation!" referring to Christiane Taubira, the French minister of justice who sponsors the bill.

Sustained protests in this traditionally Catholic country have eroded support for the draft law, and organisers hope that Sunday's protest will weigh heavily on the Senate debate.

Tugdual Derville from the anti-abortion group Alliance Vita asked senators to be responsible.

"We are saying, 'Senator, it's your time.' It's the Senators' time. They are competent lawmakers and they can totally see that there are loads of shortcomings in this bill and loads of unmanageable complications for society," he said.

In an indication of the sensitivity of the issue, protesters were barred from marching on the landmark Champs-Elysees that cuts through central Paris.

Polls indicate a shrinking majority of French voters backing gay marriage, which is legal in about a dozen mostly European nations and some U.S. states.