Greece could become the first majority Orthodox nation to legalise same-sex marriage this week despite stronger-than-expected opposition within the country’s ruling centre-right party New Democracy. On Sunday, more than 1,500 rallied outside the Greek Parliament chanting “hands off our children” against what they view as an attack on the traditional family.
Lawmakers will decide on Thursday whether Greece will become the sixteenth EU member state to legalise same-sex marriage. The promotion of LGBT issues is a key pillar of centre-right prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ legislative agenda following his landslide victory in June. However, roughly a third of his party’s MPs oppose the move.
“Unfortunately, the woke agenda has also reached Greece and that agenda includes the marriage of homosexuals,” Dimitris Natsios from the socially conservative Niki party declared. The Greek Orthodox Church has also strongly condemned the plans in sermons over the past month.
Victory for the LGBT lobby in Athens would likely increase calls for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Italy and across Eastern Europe.
Recent polling shows a slim majority of 55% of Greeks support same-sex marriage. However, a public letter from the Greek Orthodox Church warned that the LGBT lobby aimed to “put the sexual choices of homosexual adults above the interests of future children.” One bishop proclaimed that MPs in favour of same-sex marriage would be refused entry to church services.
According to census figures, over 80% of Greeks profess to follow some form of Orthodox Christianity. The tension generated in the recent debate has created a division between the ruling New Democracy party and religious voters.
The issue has become a rallying point for Greek social conservatives as right-wing MPs warned that after same-sex marriage is legalised, the next stage will be the introduction of transgender education in schools. The Greek right is unusually buoyant following major losses for the left in the recent election. Conservative and even ultranationalist parties did unexpectedly well in their share of parliamentary seats.
Mitsotakis and New Democracy are expected to rely on votes from both the centre and hard Left during Thursday’s vote. Most political commentators expect the same-sex marriage legislation to easily pass in Athens’ 300-member parliament.
