For the first time last year, two marriages between homosexual couples became reality in Greece, on Thilos Island. After all, is the road clear in Greece for same sex marriages?

Yes, those two couples got married last year, but this year it was decided that their marriages are not valid and unjustified! The road is not clear yet but last year was the beginning. The road might be rocky, full of holes and up hills but there is a road. We will fight and make it easier. Those two couple are now preparing for court of appeal. Often people ask us whether Greece is ready for same sex marriages. I do not know whether it is ready but I know it is hypocritical.  

Everywhere around us there are couples – gay or lesbian, who live together, go out together, raise children together and grow old together. The Greek society is refusing to recognize those couples. It looks at them as if they are second class citizens and distinguishes them. I do not care what society will say about me and whether it is ready to accept same sex marriage. What I am interested in is to recognize my constitutional right. We all have to pay our taxes and all of us need to have equal rights.

Would you get married?

I never thought about it. In general, I do not believe in marriage and monogamy. I believe it is good to love more than one person in our life. But I want to fight for the right to get married, because we need it and we need to have the right to choose. Marriage is connected to practical things, which are in favor of married couples, when it comes to real estate, health insurances, pension, and other things. The nice thing about marriage is that I can get married to anyone, without necessarily having a love relationship with this person.

There are many art people, who are gay and proud of it – people do not mind their sexual orientation and admire their art… To what extent does the work you do matter whether society will accept you or not?

There is one joke: one boy goes to his father and says: “dad, I’m gay,” and his father asks him: “do you own a yacht? Do you have a house? Do you have your own car?” The son answers: “no.” “Well then, you not gay you are just queer!” answered the father. I do not see things like that. One can be accepted in a certain environment, lets say from art people but outside this circle – he is not accepted. There are so many lesbians and gays in our society that this distinction does not make sense. The problem is that sometimes we cannot imagine that the people close to us are lesbians or gays.

How did you become an activist and joined the movement?

I have been interested in subjects of sex and sexuality for a long time. As a whole, those two things can make me politically active more than anything else. I started three years ago, when I started volunteering for the organization of the Gay Parade. Then I was doing my Masters degree in the Mitilini University and I got the idea to organize a mini-Gay parade there. It went very well and I felt very proud. Then, I returned back to Athens and joined the group, which organizes the Athens Pride. I am also taking part in other groups like the Lesbian Group in Athens and the Greek Gay and Lesbian Community.