Earlier this month, Greece became the first Orthodox country to legalize same-sex marriage.

The news has been making headlines around the world, and it’s creating a lot of buzz in Astoria among people of Greek heritage.

Born and raised in Queens, Chris Semertzidis embraces his roots.

“Being Greek is huge for me, for my whole family. It’s honestly rooted so much in our identity,” he said.

Semertzidis also embraces being a member of the LGBTQ community. He came out as gay to his family nearly 15 years ago.

While traditional, they still accepted him, but he felt Greece did not.

“I used to go to Greece when I was young for the summers. It really wasn’t the best place to be gay, in general,” Semertzidis said.

That may change now that the Greek parliament this month passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. It’s a first for an Orthodox Christian country; nearly all of the country identifies as Greek Orthodox.

And while Semertzidis is in no rush to get married, he said he’s celebrating this landmark victory for LGBTQ rights in Greece.

“I think it’s a beautiful thing. I think that gay people should have just as much freedom to ruin their lives as straight people,” he said while laughing.

The bill, which is now a law, also allows same-sex couples to legally adopt children.

The Greek Orthodox Church said the legalization of same-sex marriage will “corrupt the homeland’s social cohesion,” only recognizing marriage as being between a man and a woman.  

Dimitri Tsiavos, who was born in Greece, has had a butcher shop in Astoria for about 25 years. He said he feels conflicted about his home country passing a law that’s a violation of divine law.

“Whatever people like to do, it’s up to them,” Tsiavos said. “I support the church, I support the church.”

While he admits he’s not a regular churchgoer, only attending a few times a year, he said his current beliefs stem from his upbringing in a socially conservative country.

Recent opinion polls show the people of Greece are split on the issue.

“I know what’s right, to you your opinion, it’s your right this way,” he said. “To my opinion, it’s my right, so I respect your opinion. You respect my opinion, that’s all,” Tsiavos said.

Meanwhile, Semertzidis also embraces the Greek Orthodox Church, even though the church calls the LGBTQ lifestyle a sin, hoping it develops soon, as politicians in Greece have by taking a step toward inclusion and equality.

“I’ve never been more proud to be Greek and a member of the LGBT community,” Semertzidis said. “I’m just so happy that we’re moving forward.”

Some gay rights activists believe the law doesn’t go far enough, because it doesn’t allow same-sex couples to have a family through surrogacy.