Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
Facts
- Greece on Thursday became the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex marriage after its parliament voted 176-76 to approve a bill Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis argued would 'boldly abolish a serious inequality.'1
- While the legislation gives same-sex couples equal parental rights — previously only the biological parents were recognized as a child's legal guardian — and right to legally adopt children, it bans them from becoming parents through surrogacy or assisted reproduction.2
- Mitsotakis said that Athens was 'proud' to legislate marriage equality, which he deemed 'a milestone for human rights, reflecting today's Greece — a progressive, and democratic country, passionately committed to European values.' The move was opposed by the Greek Orthodox church.3
- Though several of Mitsotakis' centre-right governing party opposed the bill, which needed a simple majority to pass through the 300-seat parliament, it found the backing of the country's main opposition left-wing party — led by Stefanos Kasselakis, Greece's first gay political leader.4
- Civil unions for same-sex couples have been allowed in Greece since 2015, while transgender people have had the right to change their legal gender since in 2017. In 2022, the country banned all conversion practices carried out on children.5
Sources: 1BBC News, 2New York Times, 3Associated Press, 4Al Jazeera and 5Reuters.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by Time. Thursday's vote was long overdue. It's a significant step for human rights, equality, and Greek society. By legally safeguarding an invisible, marginalized community's rights, the legislation provides same-sex couples peace of mind on fundamental issues and protects children living in a state of precariousness.
- Narrative B, as provided by Orthodox Times (en). Greece is a country of traditional family values and structures. Giving same-sex couples the right to wed and adopt children puts the rights of homosexual couples above the interests of children, and will corrupt the country's social cohesion. The legislation is anti-Christian, and, as it hurts national interests, it must be rolled back immediately.
- Narrative C, as provided by Amnesty International. The legislation could be a welcome solution to a same-sex family's problems, but it doesn't overturn crucial obstacles for homosexual couples who remain second-class citizens in their own country. While same-sex couples can now wed and adopt in Greece, they're denied the right to have a child through a surrogate. Moreover, the long and expensive adoption process makes it out of reach for many.