Ex-French President Slams Same-Sex Marriage

The former president of France is making international headlines this week after saying same-sex marriage "humiliates families" during his first TV interview since announcing his return to politics on Friday, the British newspaper the Daily Mail reports.

Nicolas Sarkozy, 59, said he "detested the way equal marriage was forced through by [French President] Francois Hollande's government last year," the Daily Mail writes. France's parliament passed a measure in May 2013, legalizing gay marriage throughout the country, despite heavy opposition from the conservative right.

"The government is humiliating families and humiliating people who love the family," Sarkozy, who is starting his campaign to be re-elected as president in 2017, said on French TV.

When asked if he would get rid of the gay marriage law, should he become president again, Sarkozy said it would not be a priority when so many people in France are without a job.

Sarkozy's wife, however, disagrees with her husband's view on same-sex marriage. In a separate interview with French Vogue, Carla Bruni said:

"My husband is opposed for reasons linked to his political vocation, because he sees people as groups of thousands rather than people we know personally."

Sarkozy's comments come just as France's highest court ruled that married lesbians are allowed to adopt their partner's child born through in vitro fertilization or other medical assisted reproduction.

The ruling came as a result of the legalization of same-sex marriage in France last year.

France only allows assisted reproduction for straight couples who have been together for at least two years, causing many same-sex couples to go to other countries to access fertility treatment.

In May, it was reported that anti-gay attacks were on the rise by 78 percent, even though the marriage equality bill was passed. Read more about that report here.