by Vicky Samara
With the restructuring decided by the Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for the first time participating in a government in Greece, an openly gay.
This is the 44-year-old Nikola Yatromanolakis, who was promoted from Secretary General for Contemporary Culture at the Ministry of Culture and Sport to Minister of State with responsibility for Contemporary Culture.
Nikolas Yatromanolakis was born in 1975 in Athens. He is the son of the writer and academic George Yatromanolakis and the academic Rena Lekanidou, holds a degree in Political Science & International Relations from the Panteion University and a Master's degree in Public Policy (MPP) from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, USA.
He has been Director of Communication of the Centre for Culture Stavros Niarchos Foundation, has worked at Microsoft, V+O Communication, S&B Industrial Minerals, Alpha TV, as well as at ELIAMEP and Harvard University.
He was a founding member and member of the Political Planning Committee of Potami and head of the campaign in the 2014 European elections. In the January 2015 parliamentary elections he was second in the Athens A’ elections. He left Potami in 2016, when Kyriakos Mitsotakis was elected president of ND.
Permanent resident Exarchia and a philanthropist (he has a dog named Brasidas and a cat named Patrick), Mr. Yatromanolakis does not hide his love preferences and his relationship, as he is an activist for the rights of LGBTQ Individuals. It is interesting to see how a government that has voted against the fostering of children by same-sex couples will proceed, while the deputy parliamentary representative of the ruling party of the Southwestern Democratic Party is appointed Thanos Plevris, lawyer defending the police officers involved in the murderous beating of Zach Kostopoulos.
In an earlier post on facebook, Mr. Yatromanolakis had stated:
«Several years ago, in my first job in Greece after America, I accidentally learned that there was an internal debate about whether I could take over the management of a crisis, not because of inexperience or ability but because I was obviously (hold that word) gay. They didn't give me the project at the time.
Some years later, I shared with people who are in politics my desire to get actively involved and I asked for their opinion and advice. They replied that I would be very good but obviously I would have to limit myself to advisory roles behind the scenes. «Can you imagine going into cafes and talking to people?» they had wondered aloud and went on to say «This is Greece».
Obviously I had internalized that. Every time I met a man on a business date I wondered if he had figured out that I was gay and if that would affect the outcome of things. Would I get the job? Will he trust me? Will he take me seriously?;
Nevertheless, I insisted. And time passed. And some things began to change. And slowly people came my way who started talking to me on a different basis.
So this is Greece. And it's 2020. And the country has a female President of the Republic who puts the rainbow flag on her website and speaks on the International Day against Homophobia, Amphiphobia and Transphobia. And the country has the first openly gay Secretary General, and other visible (hold that word back) openly gay people in the wider government.
Visibility is important. I've said it and I'll say it again. And for LGBTI people and for other groups or units. And there is nothing they can't do or that because they are LGBTQ, or because they are «visibly» LGBTQ they will do worse than another person.
No person should feel forced to hide in order to achieve their dreams and be anxious about being mistaken for gay or straight. And no person, especially not a child, should be bullied for who they are. And believe me, bullying comes in many forms.
We have a long way to go. But the beginning has been made.».
