A French mayor known for his stance
against marriage equality says he made an exception for his son.
Raymond Bardet, mayor of Haute Savoie
village of Ville-la-Grand, said he put aside his opposition to marry
his gay son but promised it wouldn't happen again.
“It seemed perfectly normal for me to
carry out the marriage even though I still don't agree with gay
marriage,” Bardet told daily Le
Dauphine Libere.
“When my son asked me if I'd do it, I
immediately told him 'yes,' because I did the same for his sister and
because we get on well. I didn't want to give the wrong impression
of relations with my family,” he
said.
Bardet, 72, strongly opposed last
year's passage of a law allowing gay couples to marry, organizing a
protest which included a mock marriage between 2 male members of his
staff.
“It's normal I made an exception, but
it won't happen again. … I have certain opinions and I hold them
firmly. At 72 years I'm not going to change,” Bardet said.