Members of France's gay community will legally be allowed to marry one another and adopt children by the beginning of 2013, according to a speech delivered by Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Tuesday. "Our society is evolving, lifestyles and mentalities are changing," he told Parliament in an address outlining the new socialist government's plans. "The government will respond to that." The move fulfills an election promise of Francois Hollande, who was elected in May, and makes France another country in a long list of European nations to allow gay adoption.
Apparently the process wasn't quite as smooth as it appears:
France24 reports that the speech was interrupted several times, both due to heckling from conservative lawmakers and because one member of parliament suddenly fell ill and had to be helped from the chamber with a cane. (Here's a French video of that scene playing out.)(Image: "A same-sex couple hold hands. Gay couples in France will be allowed to get married and to adopt children from next year, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has announced." Via the AFP.)