Two same-sex
Greek couples, one gay and one lesbian, were married Tuesday
in the first civil ceremonies of their kind in Greece,
on the isle of Tilos.
Two same-sex
Greek couples, one gay and one lesbian, were married Tuesday
in the first civil ceremonies of their kind in Greece,
on the isle of Tilos.
"From this day,
discrimination against gays in Greece is on the
decline. We did this to encourage other gay people to take a
stand," one of the newlyweds, Evangelia Vlami, told
BBC News.
The mayor of
Tilos, Anastassios Aliferis, married the couples despite
warnings from the government that the ceremonies are
illegal.
"There is no
legal framework for the holding of same-sex weddings in
Greece," Greek justice minister Sotiris Hatzigakis said in a
statement, according to Agence France-Presse.
In March, gay and
lesbian organizations discovered that a 1982 law on
civil wedding ceremonies did not explicitly state marriage
was between a man and woman but rather between two
"persons."
The Lesbian and
Gay Community of Greece (OLKE) announced its intention to
test its interpretation of the law, and couples began making
wedding announcements in local and national
newspapers.
A poll by the
Greek newspaper Ethnos Daily in April showed
Greek citizens were divided on the issue. Over 48% of
respondents said they oppose the legislation allowing
same-sex unions, while 45.1% stated they are in favor.
(The Advocate)
Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter.
Page 1 of 1