Vive la France! Hollande Signs Marriage Equality Bill

After a bitter battle, the fight for marriage equality in France appears over after president Francois Hollande signed a bill on Friday legalizing such nuptials.

The Constitutional Council affirmed Hollande's signing, meaning the bill is now law and will take effect on May 29. Leading up to Hollande's signing, violent demonstrations for and against marriage equality racked the Catholic nation (another protest against marriage equality is planned for May 26). LGBT people were also routinely attacked.

Hollande, from the Socialist party, went out on a limb to support marriage equality and it may cost him; his popularity is currently at record lows. Regardless, LGBT advocates see marriage equality in France as a hard-fought and symbolic victory.

"Love has won out over hate," Helene Mandroux, mayor of the southern city of Montpellier, told Reuters.