Same-sex marriage

Twenty-eight foreign embassies accredited to Greece have jointly issued a statement applauding the enactment of legislation granting equal marriage rights to same-sex couples.

In a historic move, Greece has passed a landmark bill legalizing same-sex marriage, marking a significant step forward for LGBTQ+ rights in the country. With a decisive vote of 176 members in favor out of the 300-seat parliament, the legislation to recognize gay families has been approved, Reuters reports.

Greece has become the first majority-Orthodox Christian nation to legalize same-sex marriage under civil law. At least for the near future, it will almost certainly be the only one.

The Greek Parliament has voted a bill legalizing same-sex marriage by a wide margin.

The bill in its entirety was approved 176-76 in the 300-member assembly late Thursday, with 2 MPs voting "present." A total of 46 abstained.

There were also separate votes for each article, with many getting as many as 199 positive votes.

Parliament is poised to vote the same-sex marriage bill, with the help of three center-left and left-wing opposition parties.

Passage of the bill will bestow full parental rights upon same-sex couples, although it would not allow male partners to have children born in Greece through surrogacy.

Marriage equality was a matter of debate as early as 1960 in the Netherlands. It became law in 2001. At the time, the country was the first in the world to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. "Some people had predicted that society would fall apart and family values would suffer. None of that has happened," the Dutch ambassador to Greece, Susanna Terstal, tells Kathimerini.

The legal adviser to the Hierarchy of the Greek Church is reportedly drafting a letter that will be sent to lawmakers regarding the legal ramifications of same-sex marriage and, according to well-informed sources, it will be completed after the relevant government bill is made public.

The proposed bill on same-sex marriage and adoption was posted for public consultation on Wednesday by the State Ministry.

The ministry's website (opengov.gr) uploaded the bill under the title "Equality of civil marriage, amendment of the Civil Code and other provisions," which will remain for public consultaton until January 31.

Public discourse in Greece is dominated by the argument that the government's effort to legislate marriage equality will carry a political cost. Careful analysis of the situation, however, leads to the opposite conclusion.

Amid the controversy generated by the upcoming bill on same-sex marriage, the Greek Church is trying to strike a delicate balance between competing groups from within, and its congregations, while at the same time trying not to burn bridges with the government and political power in general.