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Loading ...Greek court annuls gay marriages
05.05.2009 12:25pm EDT
(Athens) A court Tuesday annulled the only two same-sex marriages performed in Greece.
In June, Mayor Tasos Aliferis, on the island of Rhodes, performed the weddings after LGBT rights group OLKE said it had found a loophole in a 26-year-old update of the Greek civil marriage law that refers only to participating “persons,” without specifying gender.
OLKE said that by not naming gender the law, albeit inadvertently, allowed same-sex marriage. The group began the search for a mayor who would agree with them and perform the first ceremony.Hundreds of friends of the couples turned out for the ceremonies, as did dozens of curious townsfolk and the media. One of the couples was lesbian, the other gay.
The government disagreed with OKKE’s assessment of the law. It maintains the law limits marriage to opposite-sex couples and immediately asked a court in Rhodes to void the marriages.
In addition to seeking to have the marriages invalidated, the government charged Aliferis with with breach of duty.
The weddings also drew the wrath of the powerful Orthodox Church.
Both couples say they will appeal.
“We believe it (the appeal court) will rule on human relationships based not on any formalities but on contemporary reality,” one of the women, Evangelia Vlami, told The Associated Press.
But if they are turned down, Vlaami said the case will be taken to the European Court of Human Rights.
“We believe that our wedding is valid,” she told The A{ “We knew it would take a long fight, but we have patience.”
Elsewhere in Europe, Sweden, The Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and Spain allow gay marriages.
The Greek government last year introduced civil partnership legislation that would grant legal rights to unmarried couples, but the bill specifically excluded same-sex couples.
Gays and lesbians have some legal protections under Greek law – mainly in the areas of employment and housing.
Lol, shawn, I literally giggled at that. I’m at school, and I’m pretty sure my classmates now think I’m crazy
Modern Greek nationalist dogma prefers to deny that there were ever gay Greeks. For example: since films like Alexander, Troy and 300 were not made by Greek film makers, people in Greece were relatively paranoid with each release that the film makers were going to make the characters gay and thus insult Greek pride. But from what I understand, there aren’t necessarily fewer Greek men in gay situations – but they’re macho and will deny it they are anything remotely gay, just like the millions of LGBT Arab men who do the same.
@ Shawn, You made me laugh. And it’s not a funny issue, but none-the-less your post is funny. The Greek’s are condemning their glorious past.
Geeeez, the greeks are CONDEMNING homosexuality?!?
There’s only one real solution now: GREEKS must revolt!!! Time to stick it back to/into the ROMANS, those PIGS!