The world moves on. Some things improve; others lag behind. Even here, change comes, not always at the pace seen abroad, but it does move on, nonetheless. This week’s press conference on the health care of LGBTQ+ people was proof: a rare acknowledgment that the issues at stake go beyond symbolism and reach into the heart of everyday life: Health, property rights, dignity.
Being gay is not about rainbow flags or acceptance slogans. It’s about whether in a moment of crisis, your partner is allowed to sit beside you in a hospital room and make decisions about your health. It’s about whether the life you built together, home, savings, belongings, is safe from being taken apart, the moment one of you is gone.
I've had my own family try to strip me of rights, treating my partner as an outsider, a pariah even. They assumed my property could be divided at their convenience because I was gay, childless. In their minds, my "needs" were less. I was made to feel I should be grateful for whatever scraps of recognition they allowed. And I know many others who experience the same reality.
Two issues stand out. First: health care. Gay couples must be recognised as next of kin, with the right to make medical decisions, visit their partner in hospital, and be treated with the same authority as any spouse. Second: property and inheritance. What two people build together must remain theirs, protected by law, not at the mercy of outside claims by those without contribution, but simply biological attachments.
Lawyers confirm that even with a will, families can contest its validity. The process is long, draining, and cruel. It should not be possible. If two people are in a legal marriage or a civil union, a “cohabitation contract”, then no third party should have the right to intervene.
This change is urgent. Too many gay men and women have been forced to cut ties with their families. On many occasions, they were attacked. So, beyond legalities, this is about giving couples the security to invest in love, property, and life itself, without fear it can all be undone. The fear that discourages many from healthy relationships and social integration.
We must move with the world at some point. Not in slogans, but concrete reforms that secure health, property, and inheritance. Only then will gay couples in Cyprus feel they can truly live in equality. Not merely say thank you for the tolerance.
THE WATER BEARER