Greece’s Top Court Already Settled the Same-Sex Marriage Debate in Schools

Greek school textbooks are now at the center of a political firestorm after a newspaper reported that newly registered curriculum materials include references to families with "two parents of the same sex." The government spokesperson, when asked whether such content was legally permissible, responded by talking about his personal "moral code" and his support for opposite-sex marriage. He never actually answered the legal question.

The Ministry of Education gave a clearer answer, stating that it does not interfere politically or administratively with school textbook content. That content, the ministry explained, is determined by independent scientific committees with more than 900 members, whose findings go to the Institute of Educational Policy.

"The institutions of marriage and family are not static, but evolve alongside social conditions" — Council of State, decision 292/2026

What the government spokesperson left out entirely, according to To Vima opinion writer and legal analyst Panagiotis Sourlas, is that Greece's highest administrative court already resolved the legal question. The Council of State, in decision 292/2026, ruled that same-sex civil marriage under law 5089/2026 is constitutionally valid. The court found that the institutions of marriage and family are not static, but evolve alongside social conditions, and that extending marriage rights to same-sex couples does not affect the rights of opposite-sex couples or the traditions of the Orthodox Church.

Under that ruling, the textbook references to same-sex marriage families are legally sound. Sourlas argues the spokesperson's evasion was almost certainly driven by electoral calculations rather than a genuine legal analysis.

The broader European context is significant. The European Court of Human Rights recognized same-sex relationships as part of "family life" back in 2010, and 33 European countries have now legislated same-sex marriage, including France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands. Greece extended its civil partnership law to same-sex couples in 2015 following a 2013 ECHR ruling against it.

The debate in Greece's public sphere and on social media remains sharp, with strong religious and moral convictions on both sides. The legal framework, however, has been established by the courts.