History made as Greece passes bill to allow marriage equality and parental rights to same-sex couples. Image source: Christian Gutiérrez Martínez. Via Pexels
Greece is now the first Orthodox Christian country to legalise same-sex marriage, despite pushback from religious and conservative parties.
The bill was drafted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s centre-right government and was approved by 176 lawmakers out of the 300-seat parliament.
Although members of Mitsotakis’s party abstained or voted against the bill, it gained support from the leftist opposition and will become law once published in official government documents.
Some still believe that the Greek government has not gone far enough with the legislation, and more rights could have been legalised.
While the bill also grants full parental rights to married same-sex partners with children, but it does not allow access to assisted reproduction and surrogacy to same-sex couples in the country.
Nonetheless, many members of the populace, particularly in LGBTQ+ groups, are overjoyed with the new laws.
“This is a day of joy,” said Stella Belia, the head of same-sex parents group Rainbow Families.
Setiments echoed by Ermina Papadima, part of the Greek Transgender Support Association, who expressed hope about Greece’s attitudes towards LGBTQ+ individuals.
“I think the mindset is going to change … We have to wait, but I think the laws are going to help with that,” said Papadima.
However, though polling showed a majority support from the population, the matter was still divisive.
Church officials and far-right politicians called the bill ‘anti-Christian’ and implied it would affect ‘traditional family values’. Religious groups staged public protests and orthodox bishops reportedly threatened to excommunicate lawmakers who voted for the bill.
“The reform that we are legislating today … will make the life of some of our fellow citizens that much better without — and I emphasise this — taking away anything from the lives of the many,” said Mitostakis when defending the bill against conservative pushback.
Mitsotakis later posted on social media platform X:
“The vote has passed: as of tonight, Greece is proud to become the 16th EU country to legislate marriage equality. This is a milestone for human rights, reflecting today’s Greece – a progressive, and democratic country, passionately committed to European values.”
The vote has passed: as of tonight, Greece is proud to become the 16th EU country to legislate marriage equality. This is a milestone for human rights, reflecting today’s Greece – a progressive, and democratic country, passionately committed to European values.
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) February 15, 2024
