Greece on Thursday became the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex civil marriage, despite opposition from the influential, socially conservative Greek Church.
A cross-party majority of 176 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament late on Thursday voted in favor of the landmark bill drafted by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right government. Another 76 rejected the reform, while two abstained from the vote and 46 were not present in the house.
Mitsotakis wrote on X after the vote that Greece “is proud to become the 16th [EU] country to legislate marriage equality.”
Photo: Bloomberg
“This is a milestone for human rights, reflecting today’s Greece — a progressive, and democratic country, passionately committed to European values,” he wrote.
Scores of supporters of the reform who had gathered outside parliament and were watching the debate on a screen cheered loudly and hugged as the vote result was announced.
“This took a long time to be adopted in our country ... but at least it happened and that’s what is important,” said a man who only gave his first name, Nikolas. “We are no longer invisible.”
Earlier, people opposed the bill had also protested nearby, holding prayer books and religious icons.
Opinion polls suggest that most Greeks support the reform by a narrow margin, and the issue has failed to trigger deep divisions in a country more worried about the high cost of living.
The bill was backed by four left-wing parties, including the main opposition Syriza.
“This law doesn’t solve every problem, but it is a beginning,” said Spiros Bibilas, a lawmaker from the small left-wing Passage to Freedom party, who is openly gay.
It was approved despite several majority and left-wing lawmakers abstaining or voting against the reform. Three small far-right parties and the Stalinist-rooted Communist Party rejected the draft law from the start of the two-day debate.
“People who have been invisible will finally be made visible around us. And with them, many children [will] finally find their rightful place,” Mitsotakis told lawmakers ahead of the evening vote.
“Both parents of same-sex couples do not yet have the same legal opportunities to provide their children with what they need,” he added. “To be able to pick them up from school, to be able to travel, to go to the doctor, or take them to the hospital ... that is what we are fixing.”
The bill confers full parental rights on married same-sex partners with children. However, it precludes gay couples from parenthood through surrogate mothers in Greece — an option available to women who cannot have children for health reasons.
Many LGBTQ+ rights advocates have criticized that limitation, as well as the absence of any provision for transgender people.
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