December 21st

12-22-2011 Marissa Gaeta and Citlalic Snell, U.S. Navy Petty Officers, share first same-sex kiss at ship’s return. It was the first time on record that a same-sex couple was chosen to kiss first upon a ship’s return. Sailors and their loved ones bought $1 raffle tickets for the opportunity. Gaeta said she bought $50 of tickets, a figure that she said pales in comparison to the amounts that some other sailors and their loved ones had bought. The money was used to host a Christmas party for the children of sailors.

12-22-2015 Greece parliament voted to adopt a bill that legalizes civil unions for same-sex couples. The vote was conducted amid fierce debate between supporters on the legislation, including Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ Syria Party, and conservative parties opposing the vote. The legislation won 194 votes out of 300. Fifty-five members voted against it and 51 abstained. Same-sex couples will have the same taxation benefits and other public law rights. However, the bill does not allow same-sex couple to adopt children. The bill went into effect on December 24, 2015 and was published in the government gazette.