LGBT rights in France | |
---|---|
Location of Metropolitan France (dark green)
– in Europe (light green & dark grey) |
|
Same-sex sexual activity legal status | Legal since 1791, age of consent (re)equalised in 1982 |
Gender identity/expression | Transgender people allowed to change legal gender without surgery |
Military service | LGBT people allowed to serve openly |
Discrimination protections | Sexual orientation and gender identity protections (see below) |
Family rights | |
Recognition of relationships |
Civil Solidarity Pact since 1999/2009 Same-sex marriage since 2013 |
Adoption | LGBT individuals and same-sex couples allowed to adopt. |
– in Europe (light green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (light green) – [Legend]
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights in France have been seen as traditionally liberal. Although same-sex sexual activity was a capital crime that often resulted in the death penalty during the Ancien Régime, all sodomy laws were repealed in 1791 during the French Revolution. However, a lesser known indecent exposure law that often targeted homosexuals was introduced in 1960 before being repealed twenty years later. The age of consent for same-sex sexual activity was altered more than once before being equalised in 1982 under then–President of France François Mitterrand. After granting same-sex couples domestic partnership benefits known as the civil solidarity pact, France became the thirteenth country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage in 2013. Laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity have been enacted since 1985. Transgender individuals are allowed to change their legal gender and since 2009, France became the first country in the world to declassify transgenderism as a mental illness. France has frequently been named one of the most gay friendly countries in the world. Recent polls have indicated that a majority of the French support same-sex marriage and in 2013, another poll indicated that 77% of the French viewed that homosexuality should be accepted by society, one of the highest in the world.Paris has been named by many publications as one of the most gay friendly cities in the world, with Le Marais, Quartier Pigalle and Bois de Boulogne being said to have a thriving LGBT community and nightlife.