The National Assembly of France has approved a proposal to replace the terms “mother” and “father” on forms used in the country’s schools with the terms “parent 1” and “parent 2.”
The majority La République en Marche (LREM) party in France views the amendment, which was enacted into law on Tuesday along with a new school bill, as an essential step toward bringing France’s educational system into compliance with the European Union’s 2013 same-sex marriage law.
The School of Trust Bill amendment has been welcomed by the LREM, the centrist party founded by the French President Emmanuel Macron, but the development has been brushed aside by conservative parties as a threat to society.
LREM lawmaker Valérie Petit stated, “The amendment aims to anchor into law the family diversity of children in the administrative forms submitted in school,” as reported by 20 Minutes in French.
The largest parent federation in the nation, Fédération des Conseils de Parents d’Élèves (FCPEP), co-chair Rodrigo Arenas, described the amendment as a “very good thing.” He stated that the current legislation “takes into account changing family situations” as well as “resonates with the law passed on the fight against harassment, because often in situations of child harassment, children have been targeted for not conforming.”
The law was criticized as frightening by Xavier Breton, a conservative deputy for the Les Républicains (LR) party in France, who told Le Figaro newspaper that it was the product of “politically correct thinking that did not correspond to reality.” Furthermore, he argued that although his opponents might regard his viewpoint as outdated, male-female partnerships constituted 95% of all legally recognized unions in France.
Another conservative lawmaker, Eric Ciotti, referred to the bill as a “fantasy.” Additionally, he expressed his belief that the “negotiation of gender” would “deconstruct the balance of society.”
The idea of using “parent 1” and “parent 2” on forms in French schools first surfaced during the 2013 Marriage for All Law debate, which centered around the country’s same-sex marriage legislation. Nevertheless, the amendment was so marginalized that Jean-Michel Blanquer, Macron’s own minister of education, opposed it, arguing that it was unfit for national legislation.
The main far-right party in France, which advanced to the country’s 2017 presidential election’s second round, has declared its disgust with the amendment. “The mask had fallen” from the LREM’s face, according to the head of the Rassemblement National (RN), who claimed they were behaving disrespectfully toward the family.
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