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Article: French stretch law to fit post-modern mores.(World)(Non-Marriage)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- November 23, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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For Yannick Gervais, a French computer engineer in his early 40s, it is a dream come true.
Later this week, he and his longtime partner, Rene Varnier, will present themselves at the town hall of Paris's 12th district, sign a "civil solidarity pact," and become one of the first homosexual couples in France to legalize their union.
After 21 years of living together, "at last we will have society's recognition that we are a couple," he says. "Symbolically this is going to mean a lot to us."
For conservative lawmaker Christine Boutin, their signature will be another serious blow to an institution already under threat in France: marriage. "This is ...