Greece Becomes 1st Orthodox Christian Country To Legalize Same-Sex Marriage

In addition to establishing same-sex marriage, the bill allows gay couples to adopt children and grants full parental rights for married partners. 

Greece has become the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex marriage after the Hellenic Parliament passed a landmark equality bill on Thursday calling the legislation a “turning point for human rights.” Same-sex marriage is permitted in 35 countries worldwide. Greece extended civil partnerships to same-sex couples in 2015, but stopped short of extending equal parental rights at the time.

In a rare display of parliamentary consensus, 176 MPs from across the political spectrum voted in favour of the bill on Thursday. Another 76 rejected the reform while two abstained from the vote and 46 were not present. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had pledged to pass the new measures after his landslide reelection last year.

The vote followed two days of heated debate – and weeks of public rancour – with the reform described by supporters as “bold” and “long overdue” and decried as “antisocial’ and “unchristian” by opponents including the powerful Orthodox church.

In addition to establishing same-sex marriage, the bill allows gay couples to adopt children and grants full parental rights for married partners.

“As of tonight, Greece is proud to become the 16th E.U. country to legislate marriage equality,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who leads the center-right New Democracy party, posted on X after the vote. Mitsotakis added that the victory reflects “today’s Greece — a progressive and democratic country, passionately committed to European values.”

The vote has passed: as of tonight, Greece is proud to become the 16th EU country to legislate marriage equality. This is a milestone for human rights, reflecting today’s Greece – a progressive, and democratic country, passionately committed to European values.

— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) February 15, 2024

Syriza, the main opposition left-wing party led by Stefanos Kasselakis, Greece’s first openly gay political party leader, backed the bill, despite the fact that it maintained it does not go far enough.

Syriza has criticised that the legislation still bans same-sex couples from becoming parents through surrogacy – something Kasselakis has said wants to pursue with his own partner.

Greece had until now lagged behind some of its European neighbours in the 27-member bloc, due to opposition from a portion of the socially conservative nation, especially from the Orthodox Church.

Greek Orthodox Church, had issued a statement in December saying that same-sex marriage leads to same-sex parenting, and that children deserve to have “both a father and a mother.”

“Children are neither pets for anyone who wants to feel like a guardian, nor ‘accessories’ that will legitimize or make socially acceptable a same-sex cohabitation,” the church stated, arguing that allowing gay couples to become parents would go against the nation’s responsibility to “provide a suitable family environment for a child to grow up in.”

The country has now become the first country in southeastern Europe to have passed legislation legalising same-sex marriage.