France bans the words “Mother” and “Father” from school forms to accommodate gay couples

n the wake of gender equality and same-sex marriage, schools in France will now be unable to refer to a child’s parents as their “mother” or “father” on documents, instead the titles will be replaced with “parent 1” and “parent 2,” so as to accomodate gay couples.

The amendment was passed in parliament as part of the country’s Schools of Trust law and aims to reduce the discrimination faced by same-sex parents.

“To prevent discrimination, school enrolment, class registers, parental authorisations and all other official forms involving children must mention only Parent 1 and Parent 2,” the amendment reads.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s Republique en Marche party backed the change, with MP Valérie Petit saying this amendment of the wider law recognises “children’s family diversity in administrative forms”.

“We have families who find themselves faced with tick boxes stuck in rather old-fashioned social and family models,” Ms Petit said. “For us, this article is a measurement of social equality.”