The French media eagerly picked up Mamere’s April announcement. Serge Dassault, the owner of the conservative French daily Le Figaro and also a small-town mayor, wrote an op-ed accusing people like Mamere of attempting to “destroy the basis of our society.” The country’s conservative government is also opposed to same-sex marriages, while France’s Socialist opposition is divided on the issue. Yet despite the outcry, Mamere–who won 5 percent of the vote when he ran as the Green presidential candidate in 2002–is in line with popular opinion. When France legalized gay civil unions five years ago, most of the population was against it. Today, public views have shifted significantly: not only do 70 percent support civil partnerships, the majority are in favor of gay marriage too.
Mamere’s ceremony could set a trend: other Green, Socialist and Communist mayors say they are now ready to preside over gay marriages. But as the ceremony approaches, passions remain high. The couple scheduled to be married this weekend, identified only as Stephane and Bertrand, apparently have gone into hiding after telling RTL television that they were calm but “a bit afraid” because of all the publicity. Mamere himself has been given a police escort by the government. He spoke with NEWSWEEK’s Eric Pape about why he was presiding over the marriage and why it has become such a hot-button issue in France. Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: What reactions have you received?
Noel Mamere: Thousands of letters and calls. They range from a mail parcel full of excrement to an old lady who sent me a bible highlighting verses from the Old Testament asking that God pardon me. And there have been unsigned threats.
Any positive responses?
Plenty, and not only from young people and gay people. People say, ‘Bravo, you are courageous,’ and ‘why should we stop people from loving each other just because they are the same sex?’
Why are you willing to preside over a gay marriage?
The Greens have always been ahead of other French parties on social issues. When I was the presidential candidate of the Greens in 2002, I supported the controlled legalization of cannabis and euthanasia–both of which are very sensitive issues in our country. The major political parties don’t want to deal with them. About six months ago, the Greens announced at their conference that they were for same-sex marriage. Three Green National Assembly members even presented a version of a legal framework for Gay Adoption in July 2002.
How did you end up presiding over this particular marriage?
Two men who live in Begles read about several Green mayors’ offer to oversee gay weddings, and they came to the town hall to say they wanted to get married. They weren’t the first to ask me to marry them, but they were the first from Begles–in France you can only marry people from your town.
Why do this now, rather than, say five years ago?
French society wasn’t ready five years ago. But five years ago, when the Left was in power, big advances were made with the PACS [France’s version of civil unions.] I remember the verbal violence [in opposition to the civil unions], and conservatives said it would be a true catastrophe. Now it is clear they were wrong. The next step from the PACS, which is a sort of sub-category of marriage, is gay marriage with the same legal framework.
Do you expect waves of people to show up to get married in the small town of Begles?
Waves of people will show up in each town. I don’t think all gay couples will get married. This also allows homosexuals to say ’no’ to marriage?
Is the government’s stand on gay marriage behind the times?
The Right and part of the Left are greatly out of sync with French society. The vast majority of French people are far more advanced than their representatives, more open-minded, less fearful. And young people most of all because they have an evolved view of marriage, not one formed in the 19th and 20th century. To them, marriage has its place in life, but [they don’t] compare with politicians and others who put marriage in the context of a religious sacrament. And if it is a solemn engagement, why not have that engagement between two people of the same sex?
Gay marriage will also lead to gay divorce, right?
They can also divorce with a legal framework, which they don’t have now. PACS doesn’t offer that.
What are other issues on which you feel the government is behind the times?
This [conservative] government, like the majority on the left, is very touchy on the legalization of cannabis aimed at reducing the risks to society and to people who smoke. It is the same on euthanasia to allow people to die with dignity. And yet they allow big transnational companies to produce organically modified produce; they are taking us toward an Orwellian world. They allow biometric (ID) cards that allow us to be followed 24 hours a day. That seems far more dangerous than two people who love each other coming together.
What is your stand on gay adoption?
I am for it. Yes, surveys show most people are against it, but we must get over this hypocrisy. Since 1966, a single person can adopt a child, so a single gay person can adopt as long as they hide the fact that they are gay. More than 100,000 children are already growing up in gay families in France, either through adoption, artificial insemination or other. We will see the same debates as we did with the civil unions, and the same divide and arguments, and we will end up with the same result; most people supporting it. In four or five years this will all seem quite banal.
Did Gavin Newsom, the San Francisco mayor who allowed gay marriages, inspire you?
I watched, but we don’t have to look to the other side of the Atlantic for inspiration. I looked at Belgium, Holland, Denmark, where gay marriage already exists, and soon even the very Catholic Spain under [Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez] Zapatero. But I have a lot of respect for the mayor of San Francisco and I would like to twin Begles with San Francisco. Begles may be too small, just 23,000 people, but why not?
Where does France stand in the struggle for gay equality?
France is late.
What will the impact be in France?
You can already see it. There is a debate. The government is talking about the coming PACS strategy. Now the prime minister, the president, and the justice minister are saying we need to improve the PACS (which they once opposed), so we have already won something.
The justice minister has said the marriage you perform will not be a legal one. Are you concerned?
He should look more closely at how the law works in this country. It isn’t up to him or me to say what the law is. It is up to judges. When the Minister of Justice says that this marriage is illegal, he is expressing a personal opinion–and he is interfering with the judges’ work. The marriage will take place on June 5, it will be valid until the prosecutor of the republic asks a court to nullify it. They must offer arguments, as must the lawyers of the married, to the judge. And even then, the collective for legal equality is ready to take this issue all the way to the European court of human rights.
What do you think the government will do in response to the marriage?
They are opposed, but it isn’t up to them to say if they opposed or not. I don’t care about what they say. Only the judge is valid on this.
Is this a major issue for you?
There is no hierarchy in the fight for justice. When advocating for gay marriage, I feel as though I am in my place–the Greens, too–just like in the fight against organically modified foods. It is the same struggle.
Do you have any gay friends who plan on getting married?
I don’t know the ones who are getting married and I don’t have gay friends who have said they wanted to marry. But we also want people to have the right to say no to marriage too, to have the right to choose.
Are you getting a lot of interview requests over all of this?
Today I am doing my seventh interview, and the pace is picking up as we get closer to the wedding. I have received maybe 100 requests.
Given all the media exposure, has your journalistic past come in handy?
It helps me to deal with the press and to verify its hypocrisy. Some accuse me of political opportunism, but then they jump on the story. The press is less excited about genetically modified crops and undocumented workers.
Are you expecting a good party [at Saturday’s ceremony]?
I hope so, but I don’t want this to turn into the Gay Pride parade. I think it will be a point of gay pride, but it is a marriage between these two people, and it is important to them as individuals. I will also be proud to contribute to this conquest of legal equality.
