Greece Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights

ATHENS, GR — (02-16-24) — In a landmark vote, Greece’s parliament approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage and adoption rights to gay couples last Thursday, a landmark victory for LGBT civil rights that was greeted with cheers by thousands of onlookers in parliament and millions around the world via news broadcasts that were covering the event live.

Greece joins more than 30 countries including 2o others in the EU, that have now legalized same-sex marriage. The law gives same-sex couples the right to not only wed but also to adopt children.

This comes after decades of lobbying by the LGBT community for marriage equality in the socially conservative country, that has already voiced its outrage over the new law.

What also makes this a landmark decision is that Greece is one of the first Orthodox Christian countries to legalize same-sex marriage and allow gay couples to adopt children.

Amnesty International Greece’s Campaigns Coordinator, Despina Paraskeva-Veloudogianni, released the following statement:

“This law represents an important milestone in the fight against homophobia and transphobia and a hard-won victory for those who have led that fight. It gives same-sex couples and their children the visibility and rights that they have long been denied.

Greece has today become the 21st European country to introduce same-sex marriage. While the law will bring very significant changes, it stops short of allowing full equality for non-biological parents and does not recognize identities beyond the gender binary.

It fails to facilitate access to assisted reproductive technology for same-sex couples, single men, transgender and intersex persons. It also fails to amend a provision that prevents changing the name and gender of a transgender person in their children’s birth certificate.

“The Greek authorities must not only take steps to ensure the swift and effective implementation of the new legislation but should also introduce further legislative changes to guarantee full equality for LGBTQI+ people and families.”

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

Article by: Paul Goldberg, Staff Writer

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