Greek Parliament Approves Same-Sex Marriage Bill

LGBT illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Jordy91 at English Wikipedia)

JAKARTA - The Greek parliament approved a bill allowing same-sex civil marriage on Thursday, a decision seen as important by LGBT rights supporters which was greeted with cheers by spectators in the parliament and dozens of people who gathered on the streets of Athens.

The law gives same-sex couples the right to marry and adopt children. It was approved after the LGBT community campaigned for decades for marriage equality in the socially conservative country.

Greece was one of the first Orthodox Christian countries to allow such marriages.

"This is a historic moment," Stella Belia told Reuters, as quoted on February 16.

"This is a day full of joy," he continued.

The bill was approved by 176 MPs from the 300-seat parliament and will become law when published in the official gazette.

Although members of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' center-right New Democracy party abstained or voted against the bill, the party gained sufficient support from the left-wing opposition in a rare show of cross-party unity despite tense debate.

"This is a very important step for human rights, a very important step for equality, and a very important step for Greek society," said a historian who took part in the action supporting the bill's passage, Nikos Nikolaidis.

Recent polls show the Greek public is divided on this issue. The ruling Orthodox Church, which believes homosexuality is a sin, strongly opposes same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, many in the LGBT community believe that the bill is not enough.

This does not remove barriers for LGBT couples from using assisted reproductive methods. Surrogate pregnancies would also not apply to LGBT individuals, although the bill recognizes children born via that method abroad.

Meanwhile, Elliniki Lysi, one of three right-wing parties represented in parliament, called the bill "anti-Christian" and said it harmed the national interest.

Meanwhile former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, a lawmaker from the New Democracy Party, said: "Of course I will vote against it. Same-sex marriage is not a human right."

It is known that LGBT activists have been pushing for change for decades, often going against the grain of the Church and right-wing politicians. In 2008, a lesbian and gay couple broke the law and married on the small island of Tilos, but their marriage was later annulled by the high court.

However, there have been several steps taken in recent years. In 2015, Greece permitted civil partnerships between same-sex couples, and in 2017 it gave legal recognition to gender identity. Two years ago, the government banned conversion therapy for minors aimed at suppressing a person's sexual orientation.