A young transgender man is suing an Orthodox monk from Greece’s monastic community of Mount Athos (Agion Oros) following the monk’s public remarks against him.
According to reports from Greek religious news website ekklisia online, the transgender man is determined to sue Elder Philimon, a respected and beloved monk of the Skete of Prophet Elias on Mount Athos over remarks made during the “DIMITRIA” event at the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Demetrius in Athens, Greece.
It all began when the Greek Orthodox monk was giving a public speech to his followers and referred to this individual by his name. The monk described what his father had told him about his child’s journey of changing his gender from a girl to a boy.
The monk is heard describing what the father of this individual allegedly told him.
”Dad, you won’t be calling me Helen (Eleni) anymore. My name will be…” The name has been retracted from the video for privacy reasons, however, the monk used it publicly.
Elder Philimon continued saying that the individual went to Turkey for plastic surgeries and to obtain medication that helped with the growth of facial hair.
”These things are now considered very, very normal” the Greek Orthodox elder said in a derogatory tone.
The transgender individual has since sought legal action from a lawyer, filing a lawsuit and seeking 100,000 euros (around 104,000 US dollars) in damages for the moral harm he claims to have suffered after the speech was published on the YouTube channel of the Church of Saint Demetrius.
Transgender rights in Greece
Transgender rights in Greece have advanced significantly in recent years, particularly with the passage of the 4491/2017 Gender Identity Law.
The then-SYRIZA-led government allowed individuals to change their legal gender without requiring medical interventions like surgery or hormone therapy. This law marked a major step towards recognizing the right to self-determination for transgender people in the country.
Under this framework, individuals in Greece can apply to a court to update their gender marker on official documents, simplifying the legal recognition process.
Greece also prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in employment and access to goods and services. The country also implements measures to address hate crimes and hate speech targeting transgender individuals.
However, enforcement of these protections remains inconsistent and societal stigma persists. A great example of this is the fact that a monk decided to mention the personal story of a transgender individual as an example for people to avoid.
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