Athens, October 11, 2017
Photo: Amnesty International In a move that has left many saddened and disgusted, Greek parliament voted yesterday to adopt the bill “On the Legal Recognition of Gender Identity” which allows anyone 15 years and older to legally change his gender, even without any medical examinations, simply by sending a letter to the relevant authorities, reports AgionOros.
The bill evoked a storm of protest in Greek society and in the Church after it was earlier accepted at first reading.
The decision to fully adopt the bill was reportedly taken under pressure from European creditors. Before this latest move, Greek legislation was not in accordance with the so-called “European standard.”
In a roll-call vote over the controversial law, 148 deputies voted in favor and 124 against, with 13 abstaining. In all, 285 of the 300 deputies voted. Although the bill passed, the vote represents the first time the current government failed to garner a majority of votes, despite the fact that the ruling coalition has 153 deputies. 140 of the 144 Syriza deputies voted in favor.
The majority of opposition party deputies—from New Democracy, Golden Dawn, the Communist Party of Greece, the Union of Centrists, and the Independent Greeks (the latter being included in the ruling coalition)—refused to support the bill.
Union of Centrists leader Vassilis Leventis responded that Greece has plunged into a period of abnormality.
“Prime Minister Tsipras has pushed ahead the interests of a small group, which I believe is mentally ill. For a person to change the gender given to him—it’s abnormal,” Leventis said. Addressing the government, he chided, “Only 35% of the electorate voted for you. Who do you think you are? Dictators, who can ignore the opinion of the Church and the people?”
Golden Dawn deputy Ilias Kasidiaris has also pointed to the role of the Church in the present crisis: “The Athonite monks have called us to fight. We will heed their call and will resist. As it says in the declaration of the Sacred Community of Mt. Athos: If we do not resist, our ancestors will rise from their graves. We call upon the Church to lead the protest and are ready to support it in any way.”
Calling upon all deputies to reject the bill, the Athonites lamented, “In connection with the proposed bill, we are engulfed by unease as to what the future is preparing for us. Is it really permissible in our Orthodox fatherland to legally and blatantly defy Divine law?”
Meanwhile, in the law has proven to be even less popular that new taxes in Greek society. According to a survey conducted just a few days before the vote, 71.7% of respondents opposed the possibility of sex changes for minors. Even young people themselves largely feel that 15 is too young to make such a huge decision, surveys conducted throughout a number of Greek cities revealed.
Of course, the Greek Synod as a whole, as well as a number of individual hierarchs have spoken out against the blasphemous law. The Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church has urged all deputies of Greek Parliament to reject the transgender bill, emphasizing that the law “is directed against the institution of the family and destroys the identity of the human person.”
The hierarchy of the Greek Church believes that the “so-called political elite, demonstrating their narrow-mindedness and provincialism, are like apes, successively copying everything from countries with a different history, traditions, and morals.”
Sharply criticizing the new law, Metropolitan Jeremiah of Gortyn asks, “Why have the authorities foisted this dirty bill upon us, when the nation has rejected it? Isn’t that a dictatorship?” According to Greek law, the metropolitan went on to say, a referendum should have been held.
“But evil has been committed, the law adopted. Adopting such laws, the Greek state is walking the path of decay of other peoples. Sin has ascended the throne and rules. We are on the eve of the reign of Antichrist,” he warned.
But preaching the Gospel of Christ, he continued, “But fear not, the victor in the end will be our Lord Jesus Christ.”
As for Scripture, of course there is no verse that directly speaks of changing gender, but God created us either male or female, and our calling is to be lifted up to Godlikeness, not to delve ever deeper into our brokenness.
The Greek Holy Synod put it well:
"Sex is a sacred gift to man and serves as the basis of psychosomatic complementarity in the mystery of life and love. In this sense, it is not eligible to be changed, but is a Divine gift to man to be used in his sanctification."