ANEL make U-turn on gender identity bill
The Independent Greeks (ANEL) party, SYRIZA’s right-wing coalition partners, made a U-turn Tuesday on a Justice Ministry bill paving the way for transgender individuals to be formally recognized by the gender they identify as.
Speaking to journalists Tuesday, ANEL’s parliamentary spokesman Thanassis Papachristopoulos said the party would support the bill in Parliament. However, he added that the party remained against granting adoption rights to same-sex couples.
The vote was seen as a litmus test for government unity after opposition New Democracy and PASOK said they would no longer vote in favor of legislation that was not backed by the government majority.
ANEL’s turnabout came after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras backed ANEL chief Panos Kammenos against calls for a parliamentary investigation into the Noor 1 heroin trafficking affair.
