Abstract
Legal recognition of same-sex parenthood is a relatively recent request coming from the Greek gay movement that is constantly gaining popularity. Accommodating this request runs into some major opponent voices from the Greek Orthodox Church and the conservative parts of the civic and political society. The so-called ‘pink’ families experience discrimination in the social context they live in (Hicks, 2006). A policy analysis is not enough to determine whether a society has actually integrated same-sex families. According to Adamczyk and Pitt, there is no strong connection between a nation’s (non) discriminatory policies towards homosexuality and societal perception, when it comes to same-sex families rights (Adamczyk & Pitt, 2009). Social acceptance appears to apply rather in law than reality. Heteronormative norms combined with sexism, are the dominant perceptions in the examined social context. The assumption that parenting is heterosexual originates from the ideological foundation of the heterosexual nuclear family and can lead to discrimination against non-traditional, same-sex families (Berkowitz, 2007). In this way, same-sex couples are thought to be destined to live a life of solitude, experience loneliness since society has excluded them as incapable parents due to their sexual orientation/identity. Thus, the present pater critically meditates on how adopting heteropatriarchal notions of kinship (such as marital forms) is advocating same-sex families’ civic right in Greece and explore whether Greek policies naturalizes families under the Greek neoliberal state.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | European Conference on Politics and Gender |
| Publication status | Published - 9 Jul 2019 |