Greece legalizes same-sex marriage

Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law

Greece approves same-sex marriage
Greece's parliament legalized same-sex marriage in a rare cross-party vote
(Image credit: Aris Messinis / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened?

Greece's parliament late Thursday legalized same-sex marriage in a rare cross-party 176-76 vote, making Greece the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law. Same-sex couples now have full parental and adoption rights but can't become parents through surrogacy.

Who said what?

"Greece is proud to become the 16th EU country to legislate marriage equality," center-right Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on X. "This is a milestone for human rights, reflecting today's Greece — a progressive, and democratic country, passionately committed to European values."

The commentary

Polls show Greeks support the marriage reforms "by a narrow margin," The Associated Press said. But the law's approval came only after "weeks of public rancor," The Guardian said. "Orthodox bishops had threatened to excommunicate lawmakers" who voted in favor, and the leader of the far-right Spartans party said the law "would 'open the gates to hell and perversion.'"

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

What next?

Mitsotakis' support for the bill, despite "significant opposition" from his party, will allow him to "further encroach on the territory of centrists and liberals," Politico said. 

Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.