The French Parliament on Friday completed adoption of a gay marriage bill after the Senate voted in favour of the legislation, which had sparked mass protests in recent months.
The “marriage for all” bill gives same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples to marry and adopt children.
Conservatives had particularly objected to the adoption component of the bill, saying children need parents of opposite sex.
Two anti-gay marriage rallies in January and March each drew around 300,000 demonstrators, according to police. Catholic, Muslim and Jewish religious leaders had all spoken out against the legislation, while in Parliament, it was also hotly debated.
But the Government, nonetheless, forged ahead, with President Francois Hollande’s first major societal initiative, backed by the ruling Socialist Party and its allies.
The lower house of Parliament had adopted the bill in February.
