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Parliament is expected to vote through the bill later on
Thursday, which would give same-sex couples the right to wed and
adopt and would make Greece one of the first Orthodox Christian
countries to allow such unions.
"For every democratic citizen, today is a day of joy. From
tomorrow a barrier will be removed," Mitsotakis said in a speech
to lawmakers.
Although some members of Mitsotakis' centre-right New Democracy
party are expected to abstain or vote against the bill, he is
expected to gain enough support from leftist opposition parties.
Polls ahead of the vote show Greeks are split on the issue. The
powerful Orthodox Church, which believes homosexuality is a sin,
has strongly opposed it, while many in the LGBT+ community
believe it does not go far enough.
The bill does not overturn obstacles for LGBT+ couples in using
assisted reproduction methods. Surrogate pregnancies will also
not be extended to LGBT+ individuals, though the bill recognises
children already born through that method abroad.
Elliniki Lysi, one of the three far-right parties represented in
parliament, said the bill is "anti-Christian" and hurts national
interests.
LGBT+ groups have been pushing for reform for decades. In 2008,
a lesbian and a gay couple defied the law and tied the knot on a
tiny Greek island, but the weddings were later annulled by a top
court.
Since then, Greece has passed LGBT+ reforms, allowing civil
partnership among same-sex couples in 2015 and the legal
recognition of gender identity in 2017. Two years ago it banned
conversion therapy for minors aimed at suppressing a person's
sexual orientation.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Edward McAllister and
Alex Richardson)
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