Defending gay marriage: A French political star is born

France 24

French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira. AFP Photo

When French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira took to the podium before the National Assembly on January 29 to defend a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt, she was known mainly as one of France’s few black politicians.

When she stepped down, the once-marginalised left-wing official was on her way to becoming the star of a debate that has gripped France’s ruling class, as well as French society at large, over the past few months.

In a sweeping, strongly worded address that was by turns fiery and lyrical, the 61-year-old Taubira mounted a passionate endorsement of a law that Socialist President François Hollande has been seen as only tepidly supporting himself.

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