Marriage equality bill has ripple effects outside Greece

After a two-day parliamentary debate that began on Valentine's Day, and following an occasionally fired-up political discussion that lasted for months, Greece has finally approved a landmark bill that legalizes same-sex marriage and grants adoption rights to same-sex couples.

For many Greeks who until today were denied parental and family rights, and were treated as second-class citizens for years, it is a historic day and a major victory for equality and inclusion that calls for celebration. Late on Thursday night, at Syntagma square in the heart of Athens, happy crowds had gathered outside the building of the Greek parliament, waving rainbow flags and cheering for what they deemed to be a big step for Greece's LGBTQ+ community.

For some of the law's most vehement opponents, including the country's most pious and conservative factions, the development seems like pure...