French sexual citizenship in the context of the European Union: The effects of PACS domestic partnership law and immigration policies on bi-national gay couples

Analyzing a variety of qualitative data, such as semi-structured interviews with bi-national gay couples, lawyers, gay activists, and administrative officials, observations at gay organizations' sites and at official immigration locations, and archives of legal documents and gay organizations' minutes and articles, this project should reveal the limitations and inconsistencies between the French domestic partnership law's written intents and the lived experiences of gay bi-national couples who utilize it.; This research explores three key questions: (1) How universally does the PACS apply to bi-national couples across class, race, gender and nationality differences in the context of the reinforcing of the European Union borders and how much of this gap is explained by inherent contradictions between the legal text and material conditions among bi-national couples; (2) How is sexuality normalized via the PACS in this effort to create a sexual citizenship in France and what are some of the ways to resist this normalization? and (3) what are the other effects of the PACS on the construction of a European citizenship?; This project reveals the way sexual and national discourses are articulated through the everyday lives of gay immigrants in France, but also provide innovative ground for comparative research on democratic immigration policies across nation states. Understanding how the PACS affects gay and lesbian bi-national couples' unique experiences with the immigration process can inform other governments' policies toward legalizing gay bi-national partnerships.