French Mayor Faces Five Years in Jail for Refusing to Marry Homosexuals

Same-sex or gay marriages may have been already legalized in France this year, but some heads of local governments are still willing to spare them the blessing. However, the stand of Jean-Michel Colo, the mayor of Arcangues in the Paye-Basques region of France, brave it might be to some, could risk him not only of his mayoralty post but land him in jail as well.

“The elects who do not respect the laws of the republic will risk significant sanctions,” Manuel Valls, France’s Minister of the Interior, said, according to news portal www.lefigaro.fr.

Mr Colo got into the hot seat after he refused to officiate the gay marriage of Guy Martineau-Espel to his long-time partner Jean-Michel Martin.

“When people close the door at home, they do what they want. For me, marriage is for a woman and man to have children. I am not discriminating as a same-sex couple is sterile. It’s a parody of equality, it’s a big lie,” Mr Colo told AFP.

“When I wanted to have a child, I had a woman, I did not turn to my neighbor,” he further pointed out.

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