(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Residents of France have diverse views on the way society as a whole behaves towards gays and lesbians, according to a poll by Louis-Harris for Rainbow Attitude. 38 per cent of respondents believe French people are intolerant towards homosexuals, while 29 per cent believe they are tolerant.

Indifference was next on the list of terms with 14 per cent, followed by aggressiveness with eight per cent, and sympathy with six per cent.

In a sample of self-described homosexual respondents, intolerance was the first term on the list with 42 per cent, followed by tolerance with 25 per cent, indifference with 16 per cent, aggressiveness with nine per cent, and sympathy with four per cent.

France has allowed civil unions for gay and lesbian couples since 2000. In June 2004, Begles mayor and Green party politician Noël Mamère conducted the country's first ever same-sex wedding, claiming that there are no regulations in the country or the European Union (EU) that could thwart such a ceremony.

Interior minister Dominique de Villepin eventually suspended Mamère from his post as mayor for four weeks, citing a "grave misunderstanding of the duties of his office."

Earlier this year, Spain became the third country in Europe—after Belgium and the Netherlands—to permit same-sex marriage.

Polling Data

In your view, which of these terms is better suited to describe the attitude of French society towards homosexuals?

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