Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
In a historic move, Greece’s parliament has passed a bill legalizing same-sex civil marriage. This has made the country to become the first Orthodox-Christian Majority Country to Do So.
The bill, which allows same-sex couples the right to wed and adopt children. This bill was approved by 176 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament. This legislation will come into effect upon its publication in the official government gazette.
The passage of this bill follows decades of advocacy and campaigning by the LGBTQ+ community in Greece. Greece is a socially conservative nation. Stella Belia, the head of the same-sex parents group Rainbow Families, described the moment as “historic” and one of “joy.”
Despite some members of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ centre-right New Democracy party abstaining or voting against the bill, it received sufficient support from the leftist opposition, showcasing a rare display of cross-party unity amid a tense debate.
Nikos Nikolaidis, a 40-year-old historian who participated in a rally supporting the bill, emphasized its significance for human rights, equality, and Greek society as a whole.
Greece now joins the ranks of fifteen other European Union member states and 35 countries worldwide that have legalized same-sex marriage. This development marks a notable progression towards greater inclusivity and recognition of LGBTQ+ rights within the country.