On Thursday, Greece became the first orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex civil marriage. The law gives same-sex couples the right to wed and adopt children, despite strong opposition from the conservative Greek Church.
Parliament Members vote in Favor
A bill drafted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis needed a single majority to pass through a 300-member parliament. The bill got the majority of 176 votes from members of parliament in favor, 76 rejected the reform, two obstained from the vote and 46 members were not present in the house.
Mitsotakis wrote on X platform after the vote, “Greece is proud to become the 16th country to legislate marriage equality and this is a milestone for human rights reflecting today’s Greece a progressive and democratic country, passionately committed to European values.”
Most Greeks supported the reform and there was not a deep division between masses. The bill was also supported by four left-wing parties including the main opposition Syrira. But the bill faced opposition from several majorities and left-wing lawmakers who obstained or voted against the reform. Three small far-right parties and the Stalinist-rooted Communist Party rejected the draft law.
Limitations of the Law
“This law does not solve every problem, but is a beginning,” said Spiros Bibilas, a lawmaker from the small left-wing passage of Freedom party, who is openly gay.
The bill provides full parental rights to married same-sex partners with children but it fails to provide parenthood to gay couples through surrogate mothers which is currently available to women who can not have children for health reasons. This limitation of the bill and the absence of any provision for transgender people was criticized by many LGBTQI+ rights advocates.
Criticism from the Church of Greece
The main opposition to the reform came from the socially conservative church of Greece which believes homosexuality is a sin and also disapproves of heterosexual civil marriage. The church criticized that this reform
goes against traditional family values and in the future will extend to the potential legal right of surrogacy to gay couples.
Church supporters and other conservative organizations have protested against the proposed law in Athens. Many displaced banners opposing the law, held crosses, read prayers, and sang passages from the Bible in the capital’s Syntagma square.
Elliniki Lysi, one of the three far-right parties parliament representative, called the bill ‘anti-Christian’ and said it hurts national interests. Vassilis Stigas, a far-right lawmaker, and a head of the Spartans party called the law as ‘sick’ and claimed its adoption would ‘open gates of Hell and perversion’.
Celebration after the Result
Supporters of the law had gathered outside the Parliament, and as the result was announced, they celebrated with cheers and hugs. “This took a long time to be adopted in our country..but at least it happened and that’s what is important,” said a 40-year-old man named Nikolas, a historian who joined a rally in favor of the bill.
“I’m very proud as a Greek citizen because Greece is actually now one of the most progressive countries,” said Ermina Papadima, a member of the Greek Transgender Support Association.
LQBTQI+ community and campaigners have been pushing for change in the system for decades. In 2008, a lesbian and gay couple defied the law and got married on the tiny island of Tilos but later their marriage was annulled by the top court.
Some steps were taken by Greece in recent years. In 2015, Greece allowed the civil partnership to same-sex couples, In 2017, it provided legal recognition of gender identity and also banned conversion therapy for minors that aimed at suppressing a person’s sexual orientation.
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