France’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the country’s ban on gay marriage is in line with the constitution. A lesbian couple, Corrine Cestino and Sophie Hasslauer, who have four children and have lived together for 15 years, brought the case to court in a bid to have France join Spain and Belgium in legalizing same-sex marriages. Most French people are in favour of overturning the ban, with 58 per cent approving and 35 per cent opposing gay marriage, according to a TNS Sofres survey. But the court upheld two articles in the civil code that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. Gay marriage advocates are hoping the ruling will make gay marriage an election issue, a hope also shared by far-right National Party leader Marine Le Pen, who opposes gay marriage but feels it is up to French people to decide, not the Constitutional Court.