Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis caused a stir this week with his assertion that there are only two genders. 

The Greek version of the LGBT acronym has been trending online, and a slew of think pieces have come out praising or condemning the Prime Minister.

The resultant outcry was caused both due to the fact the statement came one day after U.S. President Donald Trump passed an executive order calling for the U.S. to only recognize two genders, but also because Mitsotakis has previously stated just the opposite.

In speeches on parliament floor and on his own social media, Mitsotakis has previously called for more protection for trans people, for people outside the sex binary, and for support for children’s gender expressions.

Mitsotakis’ most recent, antithetical, statement came amidst a discussion with President of the Jacques Delors Institute and former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta.

“Yes, I happen to believe that there are two genders, male and female,” said Mitsotakis. “This is my personal opinion, and it is dictated by biology. Of course, every country has its own culture and particularities, but it is important to be clear.”

However, as was quickly pointed out by commentators online, Mitsotakis has previously made statements supporting a variety of gender expressions. In a post he made on TikTok in June, before Pride, he listed four of twenty actions his government was taking to support LGBT people, including subsidized work placements for trans people who “are so struggling to find a place in the labor market.” 

Mitsotakis closed his video with a message for parents: “I would like to say something to parents, as a father– do the obvious thing, love and support your children. Sexuality, expression, or gender identity is theirs, our job is to always have our arms open and love our children, and the only question is to ask if your child is happy.”

@kyriakosmitsotakis_Ένα μήνυμα για το Athens Pride 🏳️‍🌈♬ original sound – Kyriakos Mitsotakis

The 2021 “National Strategy for LGBTQ+ Equality” which is posted on the Prime Minister’s website, includes specific actions needed to create “inclusive societies for LGBTQ+ people” which include enacting marriage equality, legal recognition of gender identity, and addressing issues facing intersex persons. 

The national strategy is a set of guidelines and recommendations “guided by the principle of equality and the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, identity, characteristics and gender expression.” It uses the terms “dominant genders” or genders “outside the dipole” to convey the vastness of gender expressions. 

Additionally in 2022, Mitsotakis gave a speech on the parliament floor calling for the support of intersex people, (people who are born with one or more traits in their chromosomes, genitals, hormones, or internal reproductive organs), and a cessation on “corrective surgeries.”

“Experts tell us that almost one in a hundred people may be born with a gender variant,” he stated. “These procedures, which are still being carried out in our country today, have already been classified as torture by the UN and the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency, which recognize the right to bodily self-determination.”

Much of the Prime Minster’s rhetoric regarding LGBT rights, particularly his push for the legalization of marriage equality, was couched in terms of bringing Greece into modernity, and in line with Europe.

Today in 2025, the timing of this switch in position, and the profession of it in English begs the question what or who has caused the Prime Minster to change his tune.