A small majority in the Greek parliament approved the legalization of same-sex marriage on Thursday evening. In addition, same-sex couples are given the same parental rights as straight couples in the southern European country. Greece is the first Orthodox Christian country to take this step.
The legalization of gay marriage was preceded by a vigorous debate. There were two days of heated debate in parliament. 176 parliamentarians in the 300-seat parliament voted in favor. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who made legalization one of his campaign themes in last year’s elections, also faced opposition from his own party, who voted against or abstained.
Same-sex couples can now also adopt children in Greece. The law does not apply to transgender people. For activists in Greece, legalization is seen as a major victory: they celebrated the outcome in front of parliament. The powerful Orthodox Church in Greece tried to break the law until the very end.
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