French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand (pictured) confessed to paying for sex with "young boys" in his 2005 autobiography. Mitterrand is now facing calls for his resignation from political opponents after he defended film maker Roman Polanski. Polanski is being held in Switzerland where he awaits deportation to the U.S. for having had drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl back in 1977. (Note: Polanski lost the first round in extradition battle).

Reuters reports:
French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand faced calls for his resignation on Wednesday over a 2005 autobiography in which he wrote about paying "young boys" for sex during trips abroad. The revelations in his book "The Bad Life" have come back to haunt Mitterrand since his impassioned defense of film maker Roman Polanski, who faces deportation from Switzerland to the United States for having had sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.

Politicians of all colors have criticized Mitterrand for his virulent attack on the United States. The far-right National Front has fueled the row by digging out excerpts from Mitterrand's book that have raised eyebrows in France. "I got into the habit of paying for boys," Mitterrand wrote, adding that his attraction to young male prostitutes continued even though he knew "the sordid details of this traffic."

National Front vice president Marine Le Pen said Mitterrand had to step down to restore France's moral integrity. "Resign, Mr. Mitterrand and perhaps, afterwards we'll be able to give lessons to other people," she said in a television interview this week which has become a web hit.

In an unusual pairing, the leftist Socialist party also expressed outrage. "As a minister of culture he has drawn attention to himself by defending a film maker accused of raping a child and he has written a book where he said he took advantage of sexual tourism. To say the least, I find it shocking," Socialist party spokesman Benoit Hamon told Reuters. READ MORE