Greece becomes the first country in the Orthodox Christian world to allow same-sex unions

In a historic vote on Thursday, Greek lawmakers approved same-sex marriage, making their nation the first to do so among Orthodox Christians.

Following the enactment of the law, which was drafted by the center-right government of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and received support from four left-wing parties, the country is now the 16th in the EU and the 35th globally to legalize same-sex marriages, according to a count by the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. Taiwan and Greenland are two other countries where gay marriage is acceptable.

The bill was approved by 176 members of the 300-seat Parliament, representing a cross-party majority. 46 people did not show up for the vote, two abstained, and another 76 rejected the reform.