Same-sex marriage – a balancing act

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is confronted with a gordian knot on the issue of same-sex marriage.

The center-right prime minister has pledged to push legislation on the issue through Parliament but faces strong opposition from within his own party.

The most vocal reaction has come from former prime minister Antonis Samaras, who has stated unambiguously that he will vote against legalizing same-sex marriage (civil unions are already legal).

“We must support the nuclear family, where we have parental models of both sexes, that is, where there is a mother and a father,” he declared in an interview published today in Kathimerini. He added that Greece has to deal with its demographic problem, and that, in any case, the civil contract for same-sex couples has resolved any “rights” issue.

Minister of State Makis Voridis, one of the more conservative members of the government, has also voiced his opposition, asserting that if and when such a bill reaches Parliament, he will not cast his vote in favor of it.

Their stand prompted representatives of same-sex families to accuse both of “stigmatizing” their children because of the sexual orientation of their parents, noting that the Greek state, ignoring the existence of the second parent, deprives the children of these families of basic rights enjoyed by other Greek children in terms of medical coverage and emergencies, inheritance, alimony and citizenship if born abroad.

In July, Mitsotakis had announced his intention to legalize same-sex marriage during his second term in office, declaring that “same-sex marriage will happen at some point, and it’s part of our strategy.” He went on to emphasize that “Greek society is much more ready and mature.”

The recent election of Stefanos Kasselakis, who is gay, as leader of main opposition SYRIZA, would seem to support the argument.

The legislation would also expand adoption rights to same-sex couples, another thorn for the conservatives.

But there is another dimension to the issue that could alter this complex equation; the fact that parties in the center left are generally more supportive.

Hence, if and when the prime minister brings the legislation in question to Parliament, he might be able to pass it through with their votes.

In any case, in dealing with this sensitive issue he will have to perform a well-planned balancing act.