Clothing manufacturer American Apparel has launched an initiative to support gay marriages in France. The step comes at the request of its French employees who have been keenly following the country's efforts to legalize gay marriage.

To support the cause, American Apparel will be giving away 10,000 of its very popular "Legalize Gay" T-shirts in its stores and on the streets of Paris.

"In America the foundation of our civil rights are written as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - in France it is liberty, equality, fraternity. Our company believes that those creeds by our founding fathers join us in an obligation to fight for freedom and fairness," said Dov Charney, founder and CEO of American Apparel.

"Both the French and American people have a shared tradition of the pursuit of justice and we are proud to use our company's resources and give our support to this important fight," Charney added.

Though the French President Francois Hollande has supported the cause and is pretty vocal about it, full legalization of gay marriages has faced tough opposition from religious and political groups. Majority of people seem to support gay marriage laws but conservative organizations have sponsored petitions against gay marriages and proposed various exemptions. However, the number of people supporting the cause has declined in light of strenuous campaigning from opposing groups.

American Apparel has been very public in its support of the legalization of gay marriages in the U.S. and is now taking an international stand. Till date the company has given away nearly 100,000 of these T- shirts since beginning its campaign in 2008 to fight "Prop 8," the controversial gay marriage ban in California. The company's "GAY OK" T-shirts have also appeared in countless venues in support of gay rights, from pride marches to collaborations with Human Rights Campaign.