Several anti-homophobia associations announced on Wednesday that they had filed a complaint in Paris against the Minister of Territorial Communities Caroline Cayeux, who “maintained” her past remarks on the opening of marriage to same-sex couples, a “design against nature”.

This complaint, sent Wednesday to the Paris prosecutor’s office and of which AFP was aware, was filed by the associations Foam, STOP homophobia, LGBT Sports, LGBT Education, LGBT Families and ADHEOS.

The offense referred to is the public insult towards a group of people because of their sexual orientation by a person holding public authority.

Public Senate asked Ms. Cayeux on Tuesday if she stood by old statements dating from 2013 “on marriage for all and adoption for same-sex couples, described as whim and design reform that goes against nature”.

The Minister first said, “Obviously I stand by my words. But I have always said that the law, if it were passed, I would apply it”. And to add: “I must tell you all the same I have a lot of friends among these people. Frankly, it is a bad trial that I am being made and it upset me a lot”.

“I’ve never been part of La Manif pour tous, I’ve never marched, let’s be clear,” also said the minister.

Much criticized on social networks, Ms. Cayeux then tweeted: “My words have hurt many of you. I deeply regret them, they were naturally inappropriate. Equal rights must always be a priority in our action.”

Ten years after the vote for marriage for all, “these remarks are outrageous for homosexual people”, believes Me Étienne Deshoulières, lawyer for the associations.

“We cannot have a government that claims to be fighting against the discrimination we suffer and a minister who allows herself to say that. I am asking for her resignation,” said Terrence Khatchadourian, secretary general of Stop Homophobia, to AFP.

At the end of the Council of Ministers, government spokesperson Olivier Véran stressed that Caroline Cayeux is “part of a government and a majority which has demonstrated by the facts and by its resolute action for five years to fight against discrimination, gender discrimination and discrimination based on sexuality”.

On the same line, the Minister of Transport Clément Beaune judged in the evening on LCI to belong to a government committed without ambiguity to “defending the line of equality and rights”. However, he considered “extremely hurtful” the remarks made Tuesday by Ms. Cayeux. Should she resign? “That’s not for me to say,” he replied.

“Isn’t the rule to press on the head of a colleague who is already underwater?”, commented another member of the government to AFP. “She’s a 73-year-old, right-wing senator? It’s a software thing for her (…) but that’s bullshit. I think her cabinet had to pull out the oars to write her tweet yesterday “, he estimated.

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07/14/2022 09:15:41 –         Paris (AFP) –         © 2022 AFP