KUALA LUMPUR – Same-sex marriage will be legal in Thailand following the Senate’s approval of the Marriage Equality Bill by an overwhelming majority today.
The bill, which was voted 130 for, four against and with 18 abstentions, will come into force 120 days after it is published in the royal gazette.
The bill, which grants same-sex couples the same legal rights as heterosexual couples on inheritance, adoption, tax allowances and other matters, has to receive royal assent from the king first.
It makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to recognise marriage equality, and the third in Asia after Nepal and Taiwan, and is the fruit of over a decade’s work of advocacy by activists and politicians on previous drafts.
CNN quoted the founder of non-governmental organisation the Love Foundation, Panyaphon Phiphatkhunarnon, calling the Senate’s decision “a monumental step forward for LGBTQ+ rights in Thailand”.
He said the impact of the bill would be “immense”, changing the lives of “countless couples”.
The bill was passed in the lower house three months ago. – June 18, 2024