<p>Liberal French President Emmanuel Macron wants to make &ldquo;gender insults&rdquo; punishable by a fine. ;</p>
<p>Macron, 39, is a champion of gender equality who established a cabinet of 11 men and 11 women after winning the French election in April. ; ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Gender-based insults will be punishable by law. Offenders will face a deterrent fine,&rdquo; announced Macron, adding that forms of street harassment like &#8216;wolf whistling&#8217; could also be subject to punishment. ;</p>
<p>The new law will apply to both genders, but is specifically designed to make women feel comfortable in public. &ldquo;The streets should not become hell for the women of France,&rdquo; said Macron during a speech marking the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Many women have said that the first sexist violence they meet is in the street,&rdquo; said Macron. &ldquo;This is unacceptable. Women must feel comfortable in public spaces&hellip;this must be one of the priorities of the police.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>The new law, which Macron said would be finalized &ldquo;in a few weeks&rsquo; time,&rdquo; may also apply to forms of online harassment. ;</p>
<p>Another part of Macron&#8217;s push for gender equality is a crackdown on pornography, which he views as a major cause of violence against women. ; ;</p>
<p>To accomplish these goals, Macron has promised to increase the gender equality budget to over 430 million Euros in 2018.</p>
<p>France is also considering a series of new measures related to sexual violence. These rules include: ;</p>
<p>&bull; Extending the statute of limitation for the rape of a minor from 20 years to 30 years. ;</p>
<p>&bull; Establishing 15 as the minimum age of consent.</p>
<p>&bull; Providing an &ldquo;on demand&rdquo; service that would allow women to exit public transit at any time. ;</p>
<p>&bull; Allowing victims to file rape complaints online.</p>
<p>These considerations come amid an explosion of sexual harassment allegations against politicians and entertainers. ;</p>
<p><strong>Author&rsquo;s Note:</strong> Apart from being nearly impossible to enforce, Macron&#8217;s new law seems to be a huge waste of time and money &#8211; not to mention it is a serious restriction of citizens&#8217; freedom of speech that would be unconscionable in America. ;</p>
<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s note:</strong> Macron should be working on more important issues, like his refugee problem, terrorism, his economy, the likelihood that the EU will split into pieces, etc.</p>