Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged parliament to approve a landmark same-sex marriage bill on Thursday and to “say yes to equality.”
The bill, which will be voted on later Thursday, is expected to receive enough support to pass, which would make Greece the first Orthodox Christian country and the sixteenth EU nation to allow same-sex marriage.
In a speech to lawmakers, Mitsotakis said that “For every democratic citizen, today is a day of joy.”
If passed, the bill would grant same-sex couples the right to marry and adopt; however, it leaves out surrogacy rights for gay couples, leading many in the LGBTQ+ community to say that the bill isn’t going far enough.
Mitsotakis is expected to receive support from four left wing parties and opposition from the Communist Party and three small far-right parties. The anticipated support from leftist parties is expected to constitute a majority in the 300-seat parliament. Some opposing and abstaining votes are expected from Mitsotakis’ center right New Democracy party.
New Democracy lawmaker Maria Syrengela said. “Let’s reflect on what these people have been through, spending so many years in the shadows, entangled in bureaucratic procedures.”
The bill is vehemently opposed by the Orthodox Church of Greece, which argues that it holds ramifications for traditional family values, and that approving it could lead to surrogacy rights for gay couples in the future. Archbishop Ieronymos, head of the Orthodox Church of Greece, said that a roll call vote should be held so constituents can see how lawmakers voted.
According to far-right party Elliniki Lysi, the bill is “anti-Christian” and will hurt Greek national interests.
Despite the opposition, polls show that most Greeks support the reforms. However, most Greeks also oppose extending parenthood through surrogacy to male couples.
Reforms for gay rights have been slow in the socially conservative country but progress has been made in recent years. In 2015, civil partnerships became legal in Greece, and gender identity became legally recognized in 2017. In 2022, gender conversion therapy for minors was banned.
The anticipated move to legalize gay marriage is welcomed by human rights advocates. Speaking to The New York Times, Maria Gavouneli, president of the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, called the decision “long overdue,” and Stella Belia, who founded Rainbow Families, which supports same-sex families, said that it was “a major victory that we’ve been fighting for for years.”