LGBTQ+ activists and supporters react as they gather in front of the Greek parliament, ahead of the vote on the bill which legalises same-sex civil marriage, in Athens, Thursday. [Reuters]
Establishing equal rights in political marriage is an important step in our politics and social progress. The passing of the change to Civil Law shows that daring, sensitivity and persistence can overcome problems that until today were considered taboo. The fact that Kyriakos Mitsotakis chose to risk rupture with a significant section of New Democracy voters highlights several aspects of his political talent and strategy: He dares to take political risks for reform (for politics to respond to the time’s challenges) but also to establish himself and his party as the reformist force at the center of the political scene. With this action, he showed up the eclectic forces that have always resisted reform. “Hymns with left fists in the air and prayers with anti-parliamentary slogans do not belong to this dialogue,” he declared in Parliament on Thursday. The message was aimed also at members of ND who have loudly declared their disagreement with every move towards social liberalism.
Mitsotakis showed once again that he is the playmaker in his party and the political scene in general. With this move he expresses the majority in his party, in Parliament and, according to polls, in society, which has accepted equality among all citizens with greater ease than some politicians. With this big step towards social justice, the prime minister issued an angry response to the criticism that his government has faced regarding the rule of law and the quality of news media, as they were noted in a recent motion passed by the European Parliament. Mitsotakis combines liberal vision with the hard mechanisms of political power.
The issue now is whether he can use this skill to solve more problems, among them those mentioned in the EP motion. It is not enough for same-sex couples and their children to enjoy the rights that the others had until Thursday if those rights are not complete. Health, education, the environment, opportunities for career and personal development, equality before the law, and justice, demand the same abilities and determination that the prime minister and his government mobilized to achieve equality in marriage for all citizens.
