Greece Becomes First Orthodox Christian Country to Legalise Same-sex Marriage

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament voted for the bill drafted by centre-right government despite church officials’ objections

Greece has become the world’s first Christian Orthodox nation to legalise same-sex marriage after the Athens parliament passed the landmark reform amid scenes of both jubilation and fury in the country.

In a rare display of parliamentary consensus, 176 MPs from across the political spectrum voted in favour of the bill. 76 rejected the reform while two abstained from the vote and 46 were not present.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community, many unable to contain their emotion, watched from the galleries above. “We have waited years for this,” said the prominent gay activist Stella Belia of legislation that will not only allow same-sex couples to exchange vows in civil ceremonies but adopt children. “It’s a historic moment. A lot of us weren’t sure it would ever come.”

The vote followed two days of heated debate – and weeks of public rancour – with the reform described by supporters as “bold” and “long overdue” and decried as “antisocial’ and “unchristian” by opponents including the powerful Orthodox church. » | Helena Smith in Athens | Friday, February 16, 2024

La Grèce légalise le mariage et l’adoption pour les couples de même sexe : Porté par le parti de droite au pouvoir, Nouvelle Démocratie, du premier ministre, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, le texte a été approuvé par 176 des 254 députés présents au Parlement à l’issue de deux jours de débat. »

Article connexe ici.

Cuba Just Voted to Legalise Same-sex Marriage and Adoption for Queer Couples: ‘Love Wins!’

The Cuban government urged its citizens to vote 'yes' on a broad legislative package, which will improve LGBTQ+ and women's rights in the country. (Getty)
PINK NEWS: Cuba’s citizens have approved a broad family law code that will usher in same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ+ friendly measures in a historic vote.

Millions of Cubans turned out to vote for or against a major overhaul of the island country’s over four-decade-old family code. The package included the historic step of legalising same-sex marriage, allowing LGBTQ+ couples to adopt children and other progressive measures.

Campaigners said preliminary results indicated that the LGBTQ+ friendly package will be approved after millions voted in favour of the referendum on Sunday (25 September).

The Cuban national centre for sex education (CENESEX) – which has advocated for broadening LGBTQ+ rights in the country – wrote on Instagram that “love and affections won” after approximately 67 per cent of citizens voted in favour of the package. » | Maggie Baska | Monday, September 26, 2022

Les Cubains approuvent le mariage entre personnes de même sexe : Près de 67 % des votants ont dit oui au nouveau code des familles lors du référendum qui s’est tenu le 25 septembre. Mais l’abstention importante et les bulletins contre traduisent un mécontentement envers le pouvoir communiste. »

Giorgia Meloni: Italiens Wahl-Favoritin spricht sich gegen die Adoption durch homosexuelle Paare aus

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Die Favoritin auf das Amt als Ministerpräsidentin Italiens fällt erneut mit Voten gegen Homosexuelle auf. Selbst der Zeichentrickfilm «Peppa» ist ihr ein Dorn im Auge.

Giorgia Meloni während ihrer Wahlkampagne vor dem Mailänder Dom. | Flavio Lo Scalzo / Reuters
(dpa) Knapp zwei Wochen vor den Parlamentswahlen in Italien hat sich die mögliche künftige Ministerpräsidentin Giorgia Meloni klar dagegen ausgesprochen, dass homosexuelle Paare Kinder adoptieren dürfen. In einem Debattenduell der Zeitung «Corriere della Sera» sagte die Parteichefin der postfaschistischen Fratelli d’Italia am Montagabend: «Ich glaube, dass man den Kindern, die ohnehin schon Pech gehabt haben, das Bestmögliche bieten soll.» Sie präzisierte, das Bestmögliche «heisst, einen Vater und eine Mutter zu haben, Stabilität in der Beziehung, das was unser Gesetz vorschreibt». » | dpa | Dienstag, 13. September 2022

Vladimir Putin Threatens To Change Russia's Adoption Laws Over Gay Marriage
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned he is considering a ban on the adoption of Russian children for states that allow single-sex marriages.

Speaking at Novo-Ogarevo, his residence outside Moscow, Mr Putin said he thought bilateral agreements with other countries on adoption should be changed if they contradicted Russian law.

The president was responding to a suggestion by the head of a regional parliament that Russia should modify its bilateral adoption agreement with France because of the country’s recent approval of gay marriage.

“She is right,” said Mr Putin. “We have to react to what is going on around us. We treat our partners with respect, but we ask that they treat with respect the cultural traditions, the ethic, legal and moral norms of Russia.

“I believe I have the right to introduce changes into such documents. This is a topical question, we need to think about this.”

France became the 14th country worldwide and the ninth in Europe to approve gay marriage on Tuesday, and legislation to the same effect is passing through the UK Parliament, after MPs approved it in February.

Moscow hinted at a possible crackdown that same month, when Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian foreign ministry’s human rights envoy, said: “The British and French parliaments have legalised same-sex marriages. This narrows the chances of citizens of these countries adopting Russian children.”

Mr Putin’s comments were the firmest suggestion yet that a legal ban could be adopted. » | Tom Parfitt, Moscow | Friday, April 26, 2013

Archbishop of Canterbury Opposed Gay Sex and Adoption
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Archbishop of Canterbury voiced opposition to same-sex couples adopting children and insisted that the Bible is “clear” that gay couples should not have sex, previously unpublished writings show.


Justin Welby also privately warned of a crisis facing the Church of England as a result of dwindling numbers and financial pressure which could even pose “serious questions of viability” within the next seven to 10 years.

And he openly questioned the formality of the Established Church, wondering aloud whether Jesus would have approved of “big buildings” and elaborate clerical dress.

His comments are disclosed in the first biography of the new leader of the world’s 77 million Anglicans, who will be formally enthroned in Canterbury later this month.

It charts his transformation from a highly paid City oil executive to life on a clerical stipend before his rapid promotion through the ranks of the Church.

It also reveals some of the most unguarded comments of the future Archbishop yet published, dating from his time as a little known parish priest just over a decade ago.

More recently, he voiced frustration at being branded a homophobic “European Taliban” for advocating traditional views on sex.

Archbishop Welby comes from the evangelical wing of the Church of England, which espouses traditional views on such issues. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Friday, March 08, 2013

German Court Expands Scope of Gay Adoption
Judge says one member of a gay partnership should be ble to adopt the partner's stepchild or adopted child.

Morano exclut un projet de loi sur l'adoption pour les couples homosexuels
Nadine Morano, secrétaire d'Etat à la famille. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Après la décision rendue jeudi par la Cour de cassation qui permet la reconnaissance en France d'un jugement d'adoption obtenu aux Etats-Unis par deux femmes, la secrétaire d'Etat à la famille a admis que la question de l'adoption par des couples de même sexe "mérite un débat politique". Mais elle a exclu de présenter un projet de loi sur la question.

Nicolas Sarkozy avait dit "pendant sa campagne électorale qu'il n'était pas favorable à l'adoption par des couples homosexuels, donc très clairement, si vous me posez la question de savoir s'il y aurait un projet de loi en ce sens, je vous réponds 'non'", a-t-elle assuré. >>> LeMonde.fr avec AFP | Samedi 10 Juillet 2010

Familienrecht: Und was sagen die Kinder dazu?
NZZ ONLINE: These: Die geschlechtliche Entwicklung der Kinder erfolgt nicht unabhängig von der sexuellen Orientierung der Eltern. Repräsentative Studien, die das Gegenteil beweisen, fehlen.

Eine wichtige Frage ist zu recht immer wieder gestellt und weder diskutiert noch beantwortet worden: Was sagen die Kinder, die bei gleichgeschlechtlichen Eltern aufwuchsen?

Dazu hat mich ein Diskussionsteilnehmer auf die Antworten der American Psychological Association hingewiesen. "Are children of lesbian und gay parents likely to have problems with social relationships?" Antwort: "evidence indicates, that... childeren enjoy a social life that ist typical of their age..." Auch über allfällige Probleme mit der sexuellen Identität ist nicht viel Repräsentatives bekannt. Es heisst wörtlich: "Few studies are available regarding children of gay fathers". Die Datenlage ist wenig aussagekräftig, und die Studien sind meist von Soziologen bzw. Sozialwissenschaftern gemacht, die nie die seelische Entwicklung bis ins Erwachsenenalter erfassen. Weiter lessen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> Maja Ingold - EVP-Nationalrätin | Sonntag, 04. Juli 2010

NZZ BLOGS: Homosexuelle Paare wollen Kinder adoptieren >>>

Home Secretary Makes Gay Adoption U-Turn
SKY NEWS: Theresa May, the Home Secretary and Equalities Minister, has changed her mind on gay adoption amid criticism of her voting record.

Mrs May faced accusations that she was unsuitable for the job because she voted against allowing gay couples to adopt children in 2002.

Two years before that, she opposed the repeal of Section 28, a law which banned the "promotion" of homosexuality in schools.

But more recently she backed civil partnerships and called for tougher action on homophobic bullying.

Questioned by the BBC over her voting record on gay adoption, Mrs May said: "I have changed my mind." >>> Sky News | Friday, May 21, 2010

Encourage Gay Couples to Adopt, Says Top Tory
MAIL ONLINE: Gay couples should be encouraged to adopt children, a Tory frontbencher suggested yesterday.

In a provocative speech that risked offending some Christians, Nick Herbert also said homosexuality may be 'given by God'.

He hinted that the Church was wrong to oppose gay marriage and should support gay adoption.

He also said a future Tory government would legislate to promote 'gay equality'.

This could involve bringing in beefed-up laws on homophobic bullying and hate crimes.

Environment spokesman Mr Herbert, one of a handful of openly gay Tory MPs, told an American think-tank in Washington: 'Whether it is given by God or set by nature, homosexuality isn't nurtured by doting mothers or weak fathers.

'It isn't a condition to be cured and it can't be willed away through prayer.'

Mr Herbert insisted there was no contradiction between David Cameron's outspoken support for marriage and his conversion to the gay equality agenda. >>> | Thursday, February 18, 2010

Denmark Moves to Allow Gay Couples to Adopt
THE EARTH TIMES: Copenhagen - A Danish parliament vote allowing same-sex couples to adopt children continued Wednesday to generate reaction from opponents and supporters. The legislation was passed Tuesday by a 63 to 52 vote after six members of the Liberal Party, the main force in the minority government, broke ranks and voted for the proposal.

The government must now draft a bill to be presented to parliament.

The populist Danish People's Party that backs the government was Wednesday critical that six members of Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's Liberal Party broke file. >>> DPA | Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Denmark) >>>