In a low-key ceremony held at Brooklyn City Hall, Stefanos Kasselakis and Tyler Macbeth celebrated their union, keeping the guest list quite small.
The newlyweds and their close circle shared a post-wedding lunch in Dumbo, one of Brooklyn’s upscale neighbourhoods making their first public appearance as a married couple in Astoria, at the St. Demetrios community, a move that has sparked a lot of political and social commentary.
The couple is set to celebrate their union once they return to Athens with friends and acquaintance.
Dora Avgeri, spokesperson for Greece’s opposition party, hinted at an upcoming celebration in Greece.
“A celebration will also be held in our country in the summer in a border region. How so? Aren’t we going to dance?” she said.
Both men lit a candle at St. Demetrios Church, and Stefanos Kasselakis engaged with fellow expatriates.
The newly-elected president of SYRIZA also visited the Greek expatriate school and the Holy Church of St. Nicholas in New York where he had discussions with students, parents, and priests.
A member of local diaspora community urged Stefanos Kasselakis to “Change Greece!” to which he responded, “We will try.”
Kasselakis then addressed a gathering of SYRIZA-PS members in News York and friends in the US, highlighting “the need for a reconnection with our homeland.”
SYRIZA’s leader has been publicly open regarding not yet having completed his military service in Greece.
Kasselakis has said that he made the conscious choice to get married and “live a fully dedicated life in matrimony” and then, fulfill his military obligations and “close a significant chapter pending”.
Stefanos Kasselakis and Tyler Macbeth’s marriage in New York will legally affect Tyler Macbeth’s residence in Greece.
Lawyer Maria Markou shed light on the matter, explaining that for American citizens, the permissible stay in Greece is typically limited to three months.
In the context of heterosexual couples, they can declare their special marriage certificate and secure a residence permit.
However, for homosexual couples, Greece’s stance differs, as their marriages are not officially recognised. Consequently, they can only enter into a civil union under Greek law.
Ms Markou further clarified that “according to the immigration and family law rules in Greece, the American civil partnership and American marriage is not valid in Greece. They would have to enter into a civil union in Greece according to Greek law. Marriage acquired legal weight in America.”
