On Thursday, the Greek parliament approved a bill permitting same-sex civil marriages, marking a significant victory for proponents of LGBT rights that was applauded by scores of people gathered in the city’s streets and in parliament.
The law, which allows same-sex couples to marry and adopt children, is the result of decades of LGBT advocacy for marriage equality in the traditionally conservative nation. One of the first Orthodox Christian nations to permit such unions is Greece. 176 members of the 300-seat parliament voted in favour of the bill, after it is published in the official government gazette.
Despite members of the center-right New Democracy party led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis voting against the bill or abstaining from voting, it received enough support from the leftist opposition in a rare display of cross-party unity.
Nikos Nikolaidis, a 40-year-old historian who participated in a pro-bill rally before the vote, said, “It’s a very important step for human rights, a very important step for equality, and a very important step for Greek society.”
Recent surveys of Greeks’ opinions reveal a split on the matter. The powerful Orthodox Church has been adamantly against same-sex marriage because it views homosexuality as a sin, and many LGBT people feel that the bill does not go far enough. It does not remove barriers to assisted reproduction method for LGBT couples. LGBT people will not be eligible for surrogate pregnancies, although the bill acknowledges children born abroad via this method.
