By Matt Lavietes -
NBC News
Greek lawmakers voted Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage, in a historic decision that will make Greece the first Orthodox Christian country to do so.
The approval of the law, which was drafted by the center-right government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and had the support of four left-wing parties, makes the country number 16 in the European Union and 35 in the world in legalizing same-sex weddings, according to a tally by the
LGBTQ rights advocacy group Human Rights Campaign
.
Marriage between same-sex couples is also legal in the territories of Taiwan and Greenland.
A multi-party majority of 176 lawmakers in the 300-seat Parliament voted in favor of the bill.
Another 76 rejected the reform, two abstained and 46 were not present at the vote.
Supporters of the LGBTQ community gather outside the Greek Parliament, on February 15, 2024, in Athens. Aris Messinis / AFP - Getty Images
“People who have been invisible will finally become visible around us.
And with them, many children [will] finally [find] their rightful place,” Mitsotakis told lawmakers before the afternoon vote.
Greece has allowed civil unions for same-sex couples since 2015. However, that law did not allow same-sex parents to both claim legal guardianship of their children.
The new law modifies this, although it would still prohibit same-sex male couples from having children through surrogate mothers
in
Greece, an option available to single women and heterosexual couples who require surrogates for health reasons.
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The legalization of same-sex marriage has been harshly criticized by the Greek Orthodox Church, which teaches that homosexuality is a sin.
Conversely, some LGBTQ advocates have criticized the law, arguing that it does not go far enough.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is applauded during a debate in Parliament on same-sex marriage, on February 15, 2024.Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP - Getty Images
Thursday's vote comes as the Orthodox Christian nation has relaxed its regulations around members of the LGBTQ community over the past decade.
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Two years after the country passed a 2015 law allowing civil unions for same-sex couples, lawmakers passed legislation that would allow people to have their gender identity legally recognized.
In 2022, Greek lawmakers also banned
the widely discredited practice of conversion therapy
nationwide, something that is still available in historically more progressive nations, including the United States.
The approval of same-sex marriage in Greece coincides with a precarious time for LGBTQ rights around the world.
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While U.S. lawmakers enshrined same-sex marriage in federal legislation in 2022, state lawmakers have also proposed and signed into law hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills in recent years.
A person holds a transgender flag in front of the Greek Parliament in Athens on February 14, 2024. Aris Messinis / AFP - Getty Images
Late last year, Russia's Supreme Court labeled the “LGBT social movement” extremist, which critics say effectively bans any organized advocacy for LGBTQ rights.
Local reports have revealed
Russian police raids on gay bars in cities across the country
since the court ruling.
In Uganda, lawmakers enacted one of the most punitive anti-LGBTQ laws in the world, penalizing landlords who knowingly house LGBTQ people and imposing the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.”