Monks of Mount Athos urge government to scrap gender identity law

The monks of Mount Athos in northern Greece have urged the left-led government to withdraw draft legislation that would allow free determination of gender identity irrespective of how it was recorded at birth.

In a letter to Education Minister Costas Gavroglou and Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis, the monks say that the bill is "in violation of God's law." They also attack existing legislation allowing cohabitation agreements between same-sex couples as well as the content of religious education classes at Greek schools.

On Thursday, the Church of Greece's governing body, the Holy Synod, also urged the government to scrap the bill, saying that gender is something people are born with and cannot choose.

In a statement issued following a session chaired by Archbishop Ieronymos, the synod noted that the proposed bill "provokes public sentiment, torpedoes...