Greece makes history and appoints its first-ever openly gay cabinet minister

Nicholas Yatromanolakis has become the first ever openly gay cabinet minister in Greece after he was named deputy minister of culture on Monday (4 January).

Yatromanolakis was promoted from his previous role of general secretary at the ministry as a part of prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ cabinet reshuffle.

The prime minister left most key cabinet officials in place, with both the ministers for health and finance remaining in their positions, the Associated Press reports.

Yatromanolakis and other ministers in the centre-right government will be sworn in on Tuesday, according to local media reports.

The new deputy minister of culture has been a vocal supporter of LGBT+ rights throughout his career, according to Greek website Ta Nea.

LGBT+ people have celebrated the promotion of Nicholas Yatromanolakis.

His appointment has been heralded as a victory for LGBT+ visibility, with many praising the deputy minister of culture for representing queer people at the highest echelons of Greek politics.