Greece nears approval of same-sex marriage and adoption rights
The law is expected to pass on Thursday 15 February
By Adam Lawler
Lawmakers in Greece will today (14 February) begin a debate on a landmark bill which could see the country legalise same-sex marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples.
The law is expected to pass tomorrow (15 February). However, it has faced strong opposition from the Orthodox Church, which holds much power and influence in Greek society.
Opposition to the proposed reforms saw over 1,500 protesters gather Athens’ Syntagma square on Sunday 11 February, Euronews reported. The bill has been described by the group as a threat to the traditional family model, with many of the crowd chanting “hands off our children.”
In the past 10 years, Greece has made many reforms and granted rights to it’s LGBTQ+ citizens, including same-sex registered partnerships in 2017, and banning so-called ‘conversion therapy‘ for minors in 2022.
The bill has been drafted by the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, president of the centre-right New Democracy party. Mitsotakis was re-elected as PM in June 2023, and, facing weak opposition, has been allowed room to make reforms.
“It’s important to recognise that equality under law and individual rights are also the ideology of the right” – Alex Patelis, chief economic adviser to the Greek PM
Speaking to BBC News, Mitsotakis’s chief economic advisor and a member of the group that drafted the same-sex marriage bill, Alex Patelis, said: “It’s often thought that human rights and equality are the purview of the parties of the left. This is coming from a centre-right party – and it’s important to recognise that equality under law and individual rights are also the ideology of the right.”
As well as opposition from the church, public opinion on same-sex marriage in Greece remains split. A recent poll by national newspaper Proto Thema found that only 55% of Greeks support the legalisation of gay marriage, and an even slimmer majority for those backing adoption rights.
In legalising same-sex marriage, Greece would become only the south-eastern European country to do so, and would join the ranks of 15 other EU member states and 35 nations worldwide.
The most recent country to legalise same-sex marriage was Estonia, with the Baltic nation officially granting gay couples marriage equality on January 1 2024.