On Wednesday, a significant milestone was achieved in Thailand regarding marriage equality, as the lower house of parliament adopted a marriage equality bill at its final reading. This moves Thailand a step closer to joining Taiwan and Nepal as the only territories in Asia to permit same-sex marriages, pending approval from the Senate and the king. All of Thailand’s principal political parties supported the bill, which was approved by 400 of the 415 members present, with only 10 opposing votes.
Parliament Chairman Danuphorn Punnakanta remarked before the reading, “We did this for all Thai people to reduce societal disparity and to foster equality.” He invited others to be part of this historical milestone.
Thailand has been making strides towards establishing itself as one of the most liberal societies in Asia in terms of LGBT issues, successfully balancing progressive attitudes with traditional Buddhist values. The nation, with its active LGBT community and campaigns aimed at attracting LGBT tourists, has long appealed to same-sex couples.
Assuming it receives royal endorsement, the new bill is expected to come into effect within 120 days. The journey to this piece of legislation has taken more than ten years due to political instability and disputes over the bill’s content and strategy.
Despite the fact that Thailand’s existing marriage law, which only recognises heterosexual unions, was deemed constitutional by the Constitutional Court in 2020, they advised expanding the legislation to protect the rights of other genders. In December, the parliament approved four separate draft bills regarding same-sex marriage and assigned a committee to unite them into a single draft.