Curtis M. Wong is the Senior Editor of HuffPost Queer Voices
A gay police officer killed by a gunman in Paris was married in a posthumous wedding that’s believed to be a historic first.
Xavier Jugelé, 37, was shot dead April 20 on the Champs-Élysées three days before the French presidential election. The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack, which left two other officers wounded. The gunman, identified as Karim Cheurfi, was shot dead by security forces.
Though details of Wednesday’s nuptials are scarce, Etienne Cardiles married Jugelé in a ceremony attended by former French president François Hollande and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, The Guardian reports. It’s believed to be the first posthumous same-sex wedding to take place in France (where marriage equality has been the law of the land since 2013) and possibly the world, according to the BBC.
The U.S. does not recognize posthumous matrimony under federal law, but its origins in France can be traced back to 1803. The practice became particularly popular during World War I, when it allowed women to wed slain soldiers, thus legitimizing any children conceived beforehand and entitling them to a pension.
France’s current legislation allowing people to marry the dead dates back to 1959, when a woman named Irène Jodard requested permission from former French President Charles de Gaulle to wed her fiancé, André Capra, after he had drowned. Hundreds of people have since applied for post-mortem matrimony under the law, which requires applicants to send a formal request to the president, according to The New York Times.
Cardiles made global headlines when he delivered an impassioned eulogy at an April 26 memorial service for Jugelé, who had also been deployed during the Nov. 13 terror attacks in Paris.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m suffering without hate,” Cardiles said in the speech, which was transcribed by Time magazine. “This hate, Xavier, I don’t have it because it never existed in you... Because tolerance, dialogue and temperance were your best weapons. Because behind the policeman there was the man. Because you become a policeman by choice; the choice to help others and to fight against injustice.”
An associate described Jugelé as having been “really committed” to queer causes. Mickaël Bucheron, who is the president of Flag, a French association for LGBTQ police officers, said Jugelé had been active with the group for several years. “He protested with us when there was the homosexual propaganda ban at the Sochi Olympic Games,” Bucheron told The New York Times.
Here’s to hoping the union gives Cardiles some comfort following his tragic loss.
This must be like a dream to you that are living in USA, a country where Gay Rights are so different from one state to another.
ReplyDeleteThat news about that gay policeman murdered did go around the world and the way French government did it to make it a «normal» that his spouse could take part of the national funeral is outstanding.
Something I'm quite sure you could never see in Washington with the president attending such ceremony.
In another blog, the man pointed out that June is the «Gay Prides» month and that you president isn't doing anything to underline it.
Here is my comment on it.
"Another field where there are many differences between USA and Canada (and many other countries in the democratic world).
In Canada, our politicians and more, our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, is participating in ALL Gay Pride parades.
Not a big deal here because for decades, our Gay Rights are part of our constitutional rights and that our people is open minded toward them.
With that decision of «Trumpty Dumpty» yesterday to back off from the Paris Accord on Climate Changes, "HE" is showing again that he is a man of the past and by it, is more and more isolating USA people from the rest of the world.
Not surprising "HE" isn't doing anything to underline and promote Gay Rights in his own country.
He lives in a «old time» era and more, he is being advised and under the power of USA «Evangelic» Christian extremists. Those who are such bigots and wanting to put LGBT Rights in the closet once and for all.
In the past years, «America Was Great» but now with ALL we see coming out from the White House, USA are backing off so many world wide partenerships that he is «Making America Weaker» letting the leadership to other countries instead of remaining in those groups and lead the parade.
It's a bad, bad, time for USA to do so.
Hope is coming from every USA cities, corporations, and people that are stating their faith in the Paris Accords against «Trumpty Dumpty's» bad decisions.
Gay Prides in many cities in USA don't need a «presidential act» to be strong and go forward to promote equality and respect of your rights.
Fight back this bigot, old fashion, isolationist presidency.
USA is better than that."