On 16 February 2024 Greece adopted a new law legalising same-sex marriage following a joint proposal between New Democracy (Greece’s conservative Government) and Syriza (Greece’s ‘left-wing’ opposition). Protests, led by the Greek Orthodox Church, elected far-right parties, and far-right political groups (loosely defined), erupted across the country. At the same time, much of the Greek media fuelled negative perceptions of the proposed law and of the LGBTQ+ community more broadly.
In this paper, we aim to explain the state of LGBTQ+ acceptance in Greece. We argue that although this change shows a promising step towards equality in the country, the reality on the ground is different. Despite the efforts of the Greek government to present itself as a progressive liberal party in line with the EU’s values, the Greek society is conflicted between acceptance and hostility. By looking at the Greek media and other sources concerning hate crimes towards members of the LGBTQ+ community, we seek to show that the conservative nature of Greek society persists.
