France’s Nicolas Sarkozy calls for gay marriage ban

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has called for the country’s gay marriage laws to be repealed.

The politician – who is campaigning to run in the 2017 presidential elections – has put forward a ban on same-sex marriage as one of his potential policies.

According to The Guardian, he said that the country’s equal marriage policy needs “rewriting from top to bottom”.

It is the first time the 59-year-old has actively called for the legislation, known as the Taubira law, to be repealed – although he has previously claimed that it is “humiliating families and humiliating people who love the family”.

Despite his comments, Sarkozy previously called for some form of union for same-sex couples to exist, but said it should be different to heterosexual marriage. His wife, Carla Bruni, is a known supporter of equal marriage.

The Taubira law – named after the French politician who pushed it through the French Parliament  – was passed in 2013. Recent statistics suggest that 68% of the French population support same-sex unions.

It was recently reported that Ugandan lawmakers are set to introduce new anti-gay laws – read more here.

Meanwhile, actor Colin Farrell has urged Ireland to vote for equal marriage when it goes to the polls next year – read the full story here.