The couple said they were 'honoured to become a symbol for the nation'. France is the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage, an issue that has also divided opinion in many other nations...
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A gay couple who have tied the knot in France's first same-sex marriage said they were 'honoured to be a symbol for the country' as they wed under strict security and tight police surveillance.
Vincent Autin, 40, and Bruno Boileau, 30, became the nation's first gay couple to get married this afternoon, just days after their country legalized same-sex marriage.
They married in the southern French city of Montpellier, in a ceremony held under tight police surveillance - a stark reminder of the months of bruising opposition to the French gay marriage law that was passed earlier this month.
Vincent Autin (left) and Bruno Boileau (right) hold hands during their marriage this afternoon. They became the nation's first gay couple to get married this afternoon, just days after their country legalized same-sex marriage...
They married in the southern French city of Montpellier, in a ceremony held under tight police surveillance...
Ahead of the ceremony, groom Mr Boileau said he would not let the protests spoil his and his partner's day...
Last Sunday, thousands of people protested fiercely in Paris against the new gay marriage law.
The demonstrations ended with riot police shooting tear gas.
Ahead of the ceremony, groom Mr Boileau said he would not let the protests spoil his and his partner's day.
He said: 'It's still our wedding, whatever happens.
'There always are security rules that we have to follow, but we want to walk across the city hall square. We want to dedicate this moment to all those who fought against hatred over the past months.'
The couple yesterday addressed a press conference surrounded by family and friends.
Vincent Autin and his partner Bruno Boileau, speaking to a press conference, say they are proud to 'send a positive message to the whole world'...
An anti-gay marriage demonstrator lifts a flair as he faces riot police smoke during clashes in Paris, on Sunday. Hundreds of protesters clashed with police...
The French gay marriage law was passed earlier this month...
Mr Boileau said: 'Obviously we are honoured because as we said it is a symbol for the country, it is a big step that France is taking, so we are honoured by this', The Telegraph reports.
Helene Mandroux, the mayor of Montpellier, a city with a large and vibrant gay community, will lead the wedding ceremony in the city council.
She said the marriage was about one simple message: the 'same rights for everybody.'
'Today, men and women in France will no longer be discriminated against when it comes to their sexual orientation,' she added.
Plan to legalize same-sex marriage and allow gay couples to adopt was a liberal cornerstone of Socialist President Francois Hollande's election manifesto last year.
It initially looked like a shoo-in for Hollande, since the measures were supported by a majority of the country, and an easy way to break with his conservative predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy.
But the issue became a touchstone as Hollande's popularity has sunk to unprecedented lows, largely over France's ailing economy. A political hot potato, it exposed bitter divisions between urban France, where homosexuality is widely accepted, and the Catholic heartland, where conservative attitudes hold sway.
French anti-gay marriage activist Virginie Tellene, aka Frigide Barjot (centre) gives a press conference with representatives of gay associations opposed to gay marriage, Clement Borioli (left) of Homovox.com and Xavier Bongibault (right) today...
Demonstrations against the law have often spilled into violence.
In Sunday's protest in the French capital, as night fell, several hundred protesters clashed with police, throwing bottles and chasing journalists. Interior Minister Manuel Valls said police arrested some 100 far-right protesters.
Police estimated that 150,000 people took part in the demonstration but march organizers claimed on their Twitter account that more than a million people did.
Meanwhile, in southern France, the prestigious 66th Cannes Film Festival gave the Palme d'Or, its top honor, to 'Blue is the Warmest Color: The Life of Adele,' a graphic French film about a tender, sensual lesbian romance.
France is the 14th country so far - and the biggest in political and economic weight - to recognize gay marriages.
Culled from The Daily Mail UK...
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