Tensions have been high in France of late. Anti-marriage equality forces have been protesting en masse for weeks in the lead-up to today’s vote in the lower house of Parliament that would legalize same-sex marriage. No matter their numbers or their vitriol, because the vote went exactly as newish president Francois Hollande planned: in favor of gay marriage. France has officially put the gay in Gallic, becoming the 14th country worldwide to do so. The law also also allows adoption by same-sex couples.

Seemingly everyone and their lover has been coming out in favor of gay marriage. Hillary Clinton spoke unequivocally on the subject in a video to the Human Rights Campaign that some saw as a signal she’d be running in 2016, while our current president said last year that he’d evolved on the topic of same-sex marriage and now supports it.

It goes to show, one should never underestimate the power of the GBF, or gay best friend. Bill Clinton—who so regrettably signed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) during his term—said so over the weekend. Accepting the Advocate for Change Award at a GLAAD dinner in L.A., he told the room, “[Chelsea] has had a profound impact on the way I see the world. It’s sort of humbling when you get to be my age and your child knows more than you do about everything. Chelsea and her gay friends have modeled to me how we should all treat each other regardless of our sexual orientation or any other artificial difference that divides us. Many of them come and join us every Thanksgiving for a meal. I have grown very attached to them. And over the years, I was forced to confront the fact that people who oppose equal rights for gays in the marriage sphere are basically acting out of concern for their own identity, not out of respect for anyone else.”