Tuesday, October 8, 2024
GreeceNews & Opinion

Greece Says ‘Yes’ to Same-Sex Marriage

For queer couples who’ve always wanted to vacation in Greece, now you have more of a reason to visit! The country’s parliament just approved a bill allowing same-sex civil marriage last Thursday (Feb. 15). The new law will also give same-sex couples the right to adopt children.

Surprisingly, the vote crossed party lines. Approved by 176 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament, the bill will become law once it’s published in the official government gazette. Seventy-six rejected the bill, two abstained, and 46 were not present. 

According to Reuters, the law – which makes Greece the first Orthodox Christian country to allow same-sex unions – comes after decades of LGBTQ+ campaigning for marriage equality in the socially conservative country. 

Recent polls show Greeks are split on the issue. The Orthodox Church believes homosexuality is a sin and it is strongly opposed to same-sex marriage. 

Athens Pride, along with a coalition of LGBTQ+ groups, welcomed the bill as “a historic turning point, but they believe the government could go further and include recognition of trans parenthood.   

Vacationer Staff

Vacationer Magazine's writing staff works hard to bring you all the latest LGBTQ travel articles to help inspire and inform.

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