Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage, Setting Record

Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

This Thursday, the Greek parliament legalized same-sex marriage, setting records for equality in Greece and making it the first Orthodox Christian country to do so. The vote to pass this record-making move was 176 out of the 300 members.

This current vote reflects a long, uphill battle that was not merely about same-sex marriage but rather same-sex parenting, the crux of making this current decision. Even though the gays have seen Greece as a hedonistic playground because of its many gay and nudist beaches (almost every gay cruise will make a stop), the country still remains mired in what they consider traditional family values, even in terms of gender equality for women. A recent poll showed that 62% said they were in favor of same-sex marriage, but 69% were against same-sex parenthood.

80% of the country remains Greek Orthodox. The church released a letter stating that this bill places the needs of homosexuals over the needs of children, as children need a mother and father, anything else would be confusing. The Church is also threatening to mobilize protests. At a protest outside of Parliament that included priests started chanting, “Take your hands off our children.” That's funny considering we know that priests have been more harmful towards children.

Almost ten years ago, civil partnerships for gay couples were introduced, but under that partnership law, there were no parental rights regarding children. Under this bill, both same-sex parents can now be considered legal guardians. They can also now adopt. The only area that this still will not affect is parental rights regarding surrogacy. Children under existing circumstances will not be protected under the bill.

 

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Much like the US, Greece is having its own political war between the conservative and liberal sides. This decision will ignite both factions to fight harder. A number of youth were interviewed by major news networks after the bill was passed, most support the bill passing and look to a more equal society. A number of gay citizens have mentioned that they've had to live their lives in secret for fear of being ostracized or discriminated against.

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on X: “This is a milestone for human rights, reflecting today’s Greece - a progressive, and democratic country, passionately committed to European values."

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