Thailand is about to legalise same-sex marriage. Here’s why it’s making history
Thailand may soon become the first country in South East Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.
In a near-unanimous decision, 400 members of the House of Representatives backed a bill recognising same-sex marriages – sometimes called gay marriage – on Wednesday.
Only 15 lawmakers present for the vote did not endorse it. They were drowned out by applause and the waving of Pride flags when the result was announced.
‘This is the beginning of equality’, Danuphorn Punnakanta, an MP and chair of the lower house’s marriage equality committee, said as he presented the draft bill.
‘This law wants to return these rights to this group of people, not grant them the rights.’
In order to become law, the bill must now be approved by the Senate and endorsed by the Thai king Vajiralongkorn. It would then become law 60 days later.
‘I’m glad and already excited that it is really going to happen’, the BBC reported gay police officer Phisit Sirihirunchai as saying.
‘I am coming closer and closer to seeing my dreams come true.’
Thailand has a reputation as a relative bastion of LGBT+ rights in a region that has been slow to embrace them.
It already has laws banning discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and sexual orientation, making it one of Asia’s most LGBT+ friendly countries.
Taiwan and Nepal are currently the only Asian countries to legalise same-sex marriage, doing so in 2019 and 2023.
More than 96% of people in Thailand supported same-sex marriage in a government survey late last year.
But it’s taken years of campaigning and failed attempts to get this bill near the finish line.
The new bill describes marriage as a partnership between two individuals rather than between a man and a woman.
Aside from a symbolic gesture of approval after years of campaigning and failed attempts, it would make a real difference to the daily lives of LGBT+ couples.
It would give them equal rights when it comes to marital tax savings, inheritance, and consenting to medical treatment for partners who are incapacitated.
The bill would also allow same-sex spouses to adopt children.
But it keeps the use of the term ‘fathers and mothers’ instead of the ‘parents’ recommended by the marriage equality committee.
‘Equality has happened today. It’s a historic day for the Thai parliament that stands to fight for the rights of LGBTQI+’, said Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat.
The gay MP from opposition party Move Forward, who has spent a decade campaigning for marriage equality.
Attempts to legalise same-sex marriage have failed before, but Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has been a vocal supporter since coming to power last September.
The lower house passed four draft bills on marriage equality in December.
It passed a combined version of these on Wednesday.
Thailand would be only the 38th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage if the bill gets royal ascent.
Estonia became the first ex-Soviet Union country to do so when it introduced marriage equality on January 1.
Greece’s parliament voted to legalise same-sex marriage last month, becoming the first majority Christian Orthodox country to do so.
Nepal saw its first same-sex marriage registered in November after an interim Supreme Court ruling.
Other countries are moving in the opposite direction on LGBT+ rights.
Uganda introduced the death penalty for homosexuality in 2023.
Same-sex activity is still illegal in 65 countries. It is punishable by death in 12 of these.
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