French MP Christian Vanneste triggered a flurry of outraged reactions whilst participating in a talk show on French TV channel France 5. Invited to represent the traditional views on family in a debate on homoparentality following the decision by a French court to give parental rights to both partners in a lesbian couple, Mr. Vanneste showed how entrenched homophobia and pernicious and distorted views on homosexuality still exist in a modern country such as France in the 21^st century.

On homosexual couples, M. Vanneste said: “Also, it must be said that homosexual couples [...] are not always those who drink less, those who use drugs less, and so on, it is sad but it is as it is” later adding that “The problem is that homosexuals make up couples more precarious than other, which last less [...] and are less faithful, it’s like it is, obviously. Lesbian couples usually last less, and gay couples curiously last a little longer in time. However men have more partners during the lifetime of their couple. Men rarely want to adopt, conversely lesbian and that’s where the mother resurface, wish more to have children.”

On the cause of discrimination against homosexual, M. Vanneste has a rather twisted perception of the life of a community, “There are stores for homosexual, there are meeting places for homosexual [...] there is a discrimination that is carried out by homosexual themselves, that’s a bit too much, it’s the exact opposite of the society they claim to establish, it is them who systematically manufacture discriminations” adding that “The language is entirely coded and allows for sorting those who are from those who are not”.

Such views echoes those expressed earlier this year by UK BNP leader Nick Griffin when he was raving against institutional racism toward White people. Christian Vanneste does not feel at ease and expressed his discomfort in the company of gay men and lesbian. A discomfort he does not feel when in the company of straight members of  other community. Clearly, The Marais in Paris or Soho in London can be intimidating but no straight person has ever been assaulted or killed by gay men in these “ghetto” (sic). The opposite is certainly far to be true.

The problem For M. Vaneneste is that homosexuality and homoparentality are challenging his, and his country-side constituents, traditional views of society’s organisation and models:

“A society can only exist if it organises the meeting of men and women because it is men and women who procreate” and later “The tragedy of our society is to allow for father not to be father anymore and a child without a father is a child who will not learn how to be a father and then it will be a tragedy”

This is revealing of how a crucial social paradigm change is happening, generating friction and discontent. The nuclear family has exploded long ago, the sexual revolution is now history but all the dinosaurs are not extinct. Some still live in the land of Eden populated with deep-loving, long-lasting monogamous heterosexual couples. Mr. Vanneste does know his statistics about homosexual (though he is taking the tree for the forest and confuses causes and conseuqences), but he seems to have forgotten those about heterosexuals in the drawer of his memory.

Fundamentally, what troubles Mr. Vanneste is the end of an era. He cannot accept more sexual freedom and tolerance and clearly states his rejection of a model he is hostile to: “That homosexuality is bound to the sparkling narcissism and individualism of our society is obvious and this is why I am especially hostile to it.” Christian Vanneste is certainly right that our Western society raves in narcissism and individualism but whose fault is it? For Mr. Vanneste, the root of all problems is homosexuality, c’est dommage mais c’est comme ca.

“This being said, when one assesses unfaithfulness, when one assesses the precariousness of the couples, one may say that statistically speaking, this is not the most favourable environment to foster a child [...] What I take note of is that the slope of homosexuality goes hand in hand with that of society, does it rushes it? I am prone to think so.”

Mr. Vanneste is not alien to controversy and had previously been fined for expressing abusive homophobic views which have been repudiated by members of his own party. A more drastic response is now needed.

Carthago delenda est.

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Translation: (c) peripheries

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