PINKNEWS.CO.UK: GREEK BLOGGERS FIGHT FOR GAY PARTNERSHIP EQUALITY

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Greek bloggers fight for gay partnership equality
20th March 2008 PinkNews.co.uk

More than 200 weblogs have joined an initiative called Greek Bloggers Against Discrimination to campaign against proposed new legislation on domestic partnerships that excludes same-sex couples.

"This discriminatory project has been widely denounced not just by the LGBT community, but also Greek citizens from all walks of life who believe that it violates the Equality clause enshrined in our constitution, as well as the country’s European commitments," the group said.

"We ask our friends in Europe and around the world to help us achieve the widest possible publicity for these initiatives.

"Gay rights group Olke plans to lobby the Greek government and has slammed what they perceive as an unlawful draft bill.Greek government policy is still steadfastly anti-gay.Gay marriage has long been opposed and gays are still barred from entering the military.

However, homosexuals in Greece are still seeking a greater voice within their country in recent years, which culminated in the first Gay Pride parade in 2005.

A Greek lesbian couple in Athens are due to attempt to marry in a civil ceremony in the country's first same-sex marriage.

The law does not explicitly proclaim a civil union must take place between a man and a woman and the couple are hoping to take advantage of that loophole.

The Greek Othordox Church's governing synod has described the plans to afford unmarried or defacto couples the same legal rights as their married counterparts as a "catastrophic bomb" which threatened Greek society and compared the move to "prostitution."

For a full list of the 200 weblogs that have signed on the initiative click here.