If you are thinking about having a ‘destination’ same-sex wedding this year, your choice has just got larger.  The latest country to legalize marriage equality is Greece: a significant move as it is the first-ever Orthodox Christian nation to do so.  The Greek Government had a large majority passing the new law by 176 to 76, PLUS it also allows same-sex couples to adopt children

Earlier this year Estonia became the first post-Soviet Union country to legalize same-sex marriage when their law went into effect on January 1, 2024. 

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation which tracks developments in the legal recognition of same-sex marriage around the world tells us there are now 36 countries around the globe where same-sex marriage is now legal. 

Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Uruguay.

Nepal could be next (and the second Asian country)  as a lesbian couple could be the first to have their marriage recognized by the government.  Plus Thailand‘s cabinet recently approved a bill that would legalize same-sex weddings. 

HRC Global who tracks the progress of other countries that seem likely to introduce  marriage equality are predicting this year they are  likely to  include Czechia, India, Japan, and the Philippines 

One word of caution from HRC is that same-sex married couples in many countries do not share all of the same rights and benefits as different-sex married couples, such as the right to adoption. In some countries, same-sex couples also experience additional restrictions. For example, in Taiwan same-sex marriage is only available to Taiwanese citizens or a citizen of a foreign country that recognizes same-sex marriage who seeks to marry a Taiwanese citizen. 

Meanwhile, to the Greek queer community, we say συγχαρητήρια