Cyprus-Forum.com

[CopperLine]

This is progress. Cyprus and Turkey next.

Greece sees first gay 'marriage'

The mayor of a Greek island has defied the threat of prosecution to carry out the country's first gay "marriages".

Two men and two women were "married" by Tassos Alfieris in the ceremonies on the eastern Aegean island of Tilos.

Mr Alfieris conducted the proceedings despite Greece's top prosecutor having issued a directive saying that same-sex weddings were outlawed.

One of the women involved, Evangelia Vlami, was bubbling with excitement as she told the BBC she was "so happy".

"From this day, discrimination against gays in Greece is on the decline. We did this to encourage other gay people to take a stand," she said after the ceremony held at sunrise on Tuesday.

Hostility

However, the weddings are bound to cause a huge backlash in Greece, says the BBC's Athens correspondent Malcolm Brabant.

Although homosexual practices were widely tolerated in ancient Greece, the modern nation is exceedingly hostile towards gays, he adds.

I still can't believe that someone would be prosecuted for defending human rights
Tassios Alfieris
Mayor of Tilos

The conservative Greek Orthodox Church has expressed strong objections, and the country's Justice Minister, Sotiris Hatzigakis, said he believed gay marriages were illegal.

"If the Tilos mayor proceeds, he will have committed the criminal act of 'breach of duty'," Supreme Court prosecutor George Sanidas warned on Friday.

"We will go ahead despite the difficulties," retorted Mr Alfieris. "I still can't believe that someone would be prosecuted for defending human rights."

However, leaders of other municipalities who had previously considered officiating at gay weddings have backed down.

And while Ms Vlami was prepared to be identified, her partner was not.

Similarly, only one half of the male partnership, Dimitris Tsaibrounis, was happy to be named.

Gay campaigners believe they have found a loophole in Greek civil law, which does not clarify the gender of people wishing to marry.

But Greece has formally legalised neither gay marriage nor the "registered partnerships" becoming more common in other European countries.

The Netherlands offered full civil marriage rights to gay couples in 2001 and Belgium followed in 2003. Spain legalised gay marriage in 2005. The UK has legalised civil partnerships but not gay marriage.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7432949.stm

Published: 2008/06/03 09:49:13 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

[Get Real!]

This is progress. Cyprus and Turkey next.

What exactly is so progressive about this?

[RichardB]

I understand why you have posted this copperline being as it is the FIRST gay marriage in Greece.

But to be honest it is 'old hat'in most of europe and no one bats an eyelid anymore .

In Blackpool (my UK Residence) there are 4-5 every week so what!

Its no problem for the average person

[CopperLine]

Get Real,
Progressive insofar as it is the recognition of a basic human right (sexual orientation); progressive insofar as it is another rejection of religious bigotry; progressive insofar as it is a first recognition that these people can release their own happiness and need no longer live in denial or fear ...

Isn't sexual orientation and expression a basic human right, Get Real ?

Next Cyprus and Turkey


RichardB,
Yes, you're right. The sooner the day arrives in which this is unremarkable, and not newsworthy, the better.

[Piratis]

RichardB, are those official civil marriages that you are talking about in the UK?

In some movie I watched some time ago I think it was said that gays could have some "partnership agreement" but not a "marriage". But maybe that was for the USA.

Personally I think "marriage" is just a contract and any two or more citizens that want to enter into such legal agreement with each other they should be allowed to do it.

About the case in Greece I don't think those marriages have any legal basis and therefore those people can not be officially considered married. They should first change the law in Greece and then be married, or be married in another country.

[Piratis]

progressive insofar as it is another rejection of religious bigotry

My impression (but I might be wrong) is that "marriage" in the way we know it (two people married for life) is a religious invention.

[RichardB]

Hi Pirates

In the Uk it is a Civil Ceremony

From what I understand it is a 'contract' where 2 people are joined together

I dont think it is a wedding in the religious sense, more of a registary office wedding as we have her in the Uk

But I do stand to be corrected

Just edited the post . A good few of these ceremonies have a blessing from a priest

[Feisty]

Can't agree with you there Copperline.

Whilst it may be right to argue that choice of sexual orientation is a basic human right, surely you cannot think that it is a basic human right to be married?

[Feisty]

Personally I couldn't care less what people do but think it totally hypocritical of any gay partnership to receive religious blessing.
I stand to be corrected but does any religion sanction gay relationships?

[RichardB]

In England the Church of England does not officially recognise Gay weddings but many priests will 'bless' the ceromony

IMO the quicker the church recognises this the better

No I am not gay but what some would call a humanist, every person no matter what thier sexual orientation should have the same rights as each other