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Greece has legalized same-sex civil marriage, making it the first Orthodox country to do so. There was significant opposition to the legalization from the Greek Church, which is socially conservative. However, the measure still passed and same-sex couples will be allowed to enter into civil marriages. There were 176 lawmakers out of the 300 members of parliament who voted in favor of the change, and they came from both parties.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his center-right government were the ones who drafted the bill, and 76 members of parliament rejected it. There were also two members who abstained from it and 46 who were not present at the time the vote was taken. After the vote, Mitsotakis used X (formerly Twitter) to state that Greece was proud to become the 16th EU country to legislate marriage equality.

He also went on to call the legislation “a milestone for human rights” and indicated that it was reflective of the Greece of today. Mitsotakis called his country democratic, progressive, and passionately committed to its values. Large groups of supporters had gathered outside of the parliament to watch a screen projecting the debate and vote. They cheered and hugged one another when the measure passed.

One man, who only wanted to be identified as Nikolas, said that he was “no longer invisible” now. He went on to say that it took a very long time for the changes to come to his country, but now they have and that’s what mattered. There was also a protest earlier in the day from people who were opposed to the bill and wanted it to fail. They prayed and carried religious icons during their protest.

Polls have suggested that the reform is one that’s supported by a narrow margin of Greek people, and that it’s not as divisive of an issue as the rising cost of living and other concerns. The bill also provides full parental rights to same-sex married partners who have children, so they will be able to take their children to the doctor, pick them up from school, and engage in other activities they weren’t able to do in the past.

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