Legalization of homosexual marriage in Greece
Greece is about to take a big step in favor of the rights of homosexual couples if it goes ahead with the bill presented by the conservative Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which will be voted on between this Wednesday and Thursday in the Parliament, to legalize the same-sex marriage in Greece and adoption for same-sex couples. Mitsotakis pushed the proposal forward despite strong opposition from the Orthodox Church and the right-wing faction of his party, New Democracy (ND). Some deputies, including ministers and deputy ministers of this party, have announced that they will vote against it, although the law is expected to be approved because several opposition parties will vote in favor.
Legal protection for children
The proposal of the bill on equal marriage is a big step for LGTBI+ couples who already have children or want to have them, and who are waiting for this law because the recognition of their relationship offers legal protection to the children, since the two spouses will be recognized as their legal guardians. Until now, many couples found that the non-biological parent had no legal rights, preventing for example traveling with their children, accompanying them to the hospital or picking them up from school without the permission of the legal guardian. Gay couples will also be able to adopt children who are in institutions, but it does not contemplate the possibility of them having children through surrogacy. The LGTBI+ group believes that their children have been victims of discrimination so far.
Long debate in Greek society
This issue has sparked a long debate in Greek society, which has defended traditional marriage, with the approval of the powerful Orthodox Church, and with the support of right-wing parties. The different governments have avoided promoting a bill as Mitsotakis has done now claiming that Greek society was not ready to accept marriage between people from the LGTBI+ community as it has been demanding for years. In recent days, this opposition has taken to the streets to express its rejection. Last Sunday between 1,500 and 4,000 people – according to the sources – demonstrated in Athens against the bill. Among those in attendance were several Orthodox priests and religious, people with crucifixes and crosses, as well as numerous supporters of the far-right Niki party, including its leader Dimitris Natsios. On the contrary, the proposal has the support of several opposition parties, including the left-wing Syriza, whose leader Stefanos Kasselakis recently married his partner in the United States. If the proposal is approved, Greece would be the first party with an Orthodox majority to legalize same-sex marriage.
Situation of homosexual marriage in Europe
Currently, of the 50 European countries, same-sex marriage is legal in only 20 countries. Apart from these 20, there are 11 other countries that do not contemplate formal marriage, but some form of civil or registered union, with similar rights, as is the case of Greece. So, it can be said that currently, 31 of the fifty countries in Europe, i.e. 65% of European countries, recognize some type of union between people of the same sex, which means almost 60 % of the population living in Europe.
Countries where it is prohibited
In contrast, in other countries the Constitution limits marriage only to the union between men and women and prohibits same-sex couples. They are Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Poland and Slovakia. To these countries, we should also add another group that does not recognize homosexual couples by law and, consequently, also limits their rights: Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Romania, Turkey and Vatican City.
