No one ought to hide, no injustice done

The discussion on the rights of same-sex couples is a crucial point in society’s development. Here we gauge its priorities, its values and its potential. Here we grade virtues such as acceptance, respect for one another and love. Here the reality of the human condition slugs it out with “tradition,” the matrix of laws and attitudes which demand conformity, which are revolted by change. At the institutional level, this is where we see the difference between a society which tries to regulate dysfunction, to deal with the changes of the time, and a society which sticks to what was instituted in the past, regardless of the human cost and injustice. The clash is between what is and what is demanded. To put it simply: can we judge the person next to us, our friend, brother, child, co-worker as deserving of fewer rights than the rest? To be honest, in our society we cannot, contrary to what goes on in other parts of the world. And so, those who want to find excuses for their bigotry resort to the abstract – to the Bible and traditional prejudice. 

With all these dynamics in mind, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis chose to take a clear stand in favor of a more liberal society. The government is placing itself in the center of the political scene, despite the cost this will have on its right flank and among more conservative parts of society. The opposition parties may criticize the government – either for tackling the issue or for not going far enough – but the truth is that even though there was no urgent need for this legislation (at least not for a center-right party), the prime minister has dared to tackle it. Undertaking such a risk with a large number of members of his own party and with voters sends a political message: it shows that he will be equally determined on other fronts, and it challenges centrist voters to evaluate who is a reformer in deed and who a hypocrite, hiding under the cloak either of “tradition” or “progress.” 

We all know that things are not as they were seen by the ancient desert tribes who still influence the relationship between social groups. Today, governments’ obligation is that no one ought to hide, no one should be deprived of equal rights and duties.