The Greek government has doubled down on their promise to legalise same-sex marriage amid church opposition.
Back in July 2023, the country’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged to pass the LGBTQIA+ inclusive measure during his term.
“Same-sex marriage will happen at some point and it’s part of our strategy,” he said during an interview with Bloomberg Television in Athens on 4 July.
“Greek society is much more ready and mature.”
While the country has recognised same-sex unions since 2015, LGBTQIA+ couples are only offered a handful of rights and benefits.
Since announcing the news, the country’s influential Orthodox Church has unsurprisingly pushed back on the idea, even writing a 1,500-word opinion slamming the legislation, per AP News.
Fortunately for the country’s LGBTQIA+ community, Mitsotakis’ government isn’t letting church pushback affect their decision.
In response to the religious institution, government spokesperson Pavalos Marinakis said: “We always listen to the opinions of the Church with respect. But at the same time, we are implementing our policy, and will listen to the views of society, civil society, the citizenry, institutions, and parties in total.”
He also addressed the misconceptions about the bill, encouraging critics and supporters to wait for the official text before forming opinions.
While an official proposal has yet to be released, the government is reportedly looking to create a bill that minimises grounds for opposition and shifts focus to the parental rights of same-sex couples, per Neos Kosmos.
Over the last few years, Greece has slowly adopted policies that support and protect the local LGBTQIA+ community.
In May 2022, the government banned so-called ‘conversion therapy’ for minors and other “vulnerable persons.”
“There were some false treatments that stated that when a minor has chosen a different sexual orientation, his parents could supposedly proceed with ‘treatments’ for this child to ‘return to normality,” Health Minister Thanos Plevris said in a statement.
“Obviously, these treatments not only are not a therapy but they are not supported scientifically.”
Under the law, centers and individuals offering the harmful practice must get a person’s explicit consent. They are also banned from advertising their so-called ‘conversion therapy.’
Two months later, the country introduced The Medically Assisted Reproduction Reforms Act – which prevents doctors from carrying out “sex-normalising” surgeries on babies born intersex, per Reuters.
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