I Spoke to Anti-Gay Marriage Protesters in Paris

According to a recent study led by the French Institute of Public Opinion, 61 percent of the French population supports gay marriage. That said, no less than 350,000 protesters – 800,000 according to organisers – from all around France gathered in the streets of Paris last Sunday to express their reluctance against government plans to legalise gay marriage. What is it about the backwards

I wasn't doing anything on Sunday, so I decided to join the protesters and scream highly offensive songs all day about normal people who just want the opportunity to declare their love in the conventional way. Because that's evil and will make society as we know it crumble into a filthy, debauched pit of abomination and make all children gay, or something.

The march started at Place d’Italie and ended – four hours later – at the Champ-de-Mars, right next to the Eiffel Tower. People were shouting stuff like, “Don’t mistake our stomachs with shopping trolleys” and “Posterity is no fiction,” but everything remained incredibly calm. So calm, in fact, that the organisers had to try four times to get people involved in the largest "Gangnam Style" flashmob ever. Yes, as if the day couldn't get any more tiresome or sickening, that happened.

What was interesting, however, is that the crowd wasn't only made up of Catholics and religious conservatives, but people from all sides of the political spectrum, members of all the big religions and even a few homosexuals. Everyone seemed to have their own concerns, which – of course – were the right opinions, so I went and spoke to people about them and why they chose to spend their Sunday protesting against a law that isn't going to impact their lives in any tangible way.

VICE: Hey Thibault, what the hell are you doing here?
Thibault: I’m here to maintain the fundamental values of our nation. Since the beginning of humanity, life has always been about men and women, fathers, mothers. We’ve never seen two men giving birth to a child. Weddings should only be possible for heterosexual couples and gay people should be happy with the CSP (Civil Solidarity Pact).

I see. So I bet you're in support of allowing gay couples to adopt, right?
No. A child needs both a father and a mother. If the government legalises gay marriage, the next step will be adoption, and that’s unacceptable. I don’t think non-biological parents should have the same rights over a child as biological parents do.

Why are you out in the streets today?
Mireille: Well, marriage for gay people? And then what? You tell me. Marriage between brothers and sisters? Cats and dogs? This law is a terrible mistake.

And what do you think about giving gay couples the right to adopt children?
My friend has been waiting to adopt a child for many years, so I think normal people should come first. We’ll see about gay couples later. And kids can’t evolve sanely with homosexual parents.

That's true – everyone I know with two gay parents is a murderous psychopath. 

Marie, 6 and Romane, 7.

Marie, what do you think about legalising gay marriage?
Marie: It’s not a good idea, because a kid can’t get a good education with two dads or two mums.

Thank you, Marie. What about you, Romane?
Romane: I think it’s bad for the kids’ education. And I think that if the dad is more strict than the mum, then it’s not good for the kid. I mean, it’s good for the kid, but if the kid has two strict mums, then it’s not good for him.

What have your parents told you? :(

What’s wrong with Christiane Taubira’s bill?
Gersande: First, I would like to say that no one here is homophobic. We don’t have a problem with two men or two women loving each other. But the point of marriage is to protect children, and if we legalise gay marriage today, we will legalise adoption for homosexual couples tomorrow. And then ART – Assisted Reproductive Technology – and IVF.

God, yeah, helping people have kids is evil. Although, several European countries have already passed that law. Don’t you think we’re a bit late and should join in?
I don’t think we’re late, no. We shouldn’t even think about altering the fundamental structure of marriage.

Okay. What if one of your kids ever becomes homosexual? Will you tell him off?
Well, I’ll tell him that he’s free to do whatever he wants, but he’ll never get married and he’ll never have kids. This is how nature works. But anyway, my kids will be educated in such a way that they’ll never turn gay.

Oh yeah, I forgot that it was a choice. Oops! 

Are you against gay marriage?
Yoro: Look, we’re talking about the future of humanity here. I personally think that legalising gay marriage is the first step towards legalising adoption for homosexual couples. And that's dangerous for children. The kids will become like them: homosexuals. Only women can give birth to a child. That’s how nature works. You can’t just create a kid chemically; it means it's not a real human being.

Wait – you're implying that IVF kids are imaginary?
No, of course not. Just that they don't count as real humans.

I don't know what to say. Would you mind having a gay son?
He’s free to be whatever he wants to be. I won’t keep him from being homosexual. However, I’ll let him know that I’m not happy and do everything to get him heterosexual again.

Yeah, I've heard those all-gay summer camps help cure homosexuality.

Why are you protesting today?
Marion: Back in the day, people were warning me already and they were right to do so. They knew that things would go wrong. Gay marriage is not marriage. In fact, it’s the end of marriage. It’s normal for a man to marry a woman. Nowadays, people want to normalise everything and homogenise cultures. On a political level, we’re moving towards the end of our nation. All the countries will be reduced to one single country and we’ll all become naïve consumers. On a social level, having sex will soon be as common as eating or going for a piss. The evolution of customs throughout the years is leading to the inevitable dehumanisation of society – it’s awful.

Considering the current social and economic situation, do you think it's time for debates like these? Does it really matter?
The people who want to ruin our country see it as a major issue and they know that now is the right time to pass that law. I don’t see it as a secondary issue, either. Legalising gay marriage means destroying the concept of family. This issue is at the heart of the destruction system of our society.

Why are you out in the street today?
Christian: I have six children and eight grandchildren. I'm here to protect the concept of family, which is the basis of our society.

Are all your kids heterosexual?
As far as I know, yes.

What if one of them turns out to be gay? How would you react?
I’d be sad for him because I know it’s hard to be homosexual in our society.

Don't protests like these make it even harder?
No. We’re not here to protest against homosexuals, we’re here to maintain our country’s marriage regulations. We don’t want to blame people for their sexual tendencies. It’s not their fault. I’ve got homosexual friends who suffer. It’s an actual burden to be gay. Nonetheless, I don’t think it’s a good idea to alter the founding principles of our society with the legalisation of gay marriage.

Ahmed (left) and Véronique.

Why did you choose to protest today instead of going shopping in the sales?
Véronique: I just got back from Martinique, where authorities took my child away from me. That’s why I’m here to protest. I don’t want some gay people to adopt my child.

What do you have against them?
I don’t have anything against them – I’m very tolerant with people like that. But they keep asking for more and more. We don’t complain when they kiss and hold hands in the street. We don’t hurt them. But now they want to marry and soil religion. They already put Dutroux’s wife in a convent and that’s a disgrace. We won’t accept any more of this. 
Ahmed: With gay parents, the kid will grow up and become gay as well. It’s automatic. We’re moving towards the end of humanity with people like this becoming mainstream. Soon they’ll multiply and heterosexuals will be outnumbered. Catholics, Muslims, we’re all against gay marriage.

You guys seem nice. 

Follow Thomas on Twitter: @Thomas_Bertrand and see more of Elsa's photos here. 

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