This will make Thailand only the third country in Asia to recognise same-sex marriage, following Taiwan and Nepal, after recent pushes in places including Hong Kong and India stalled.
The bill also builds on existing anti-discrimination legislation to further cement Thailand’s reputation as a relative haven for the LBGTQ+ community in southeast Asia, where countries including Brunei and Malaysia still criminalise same-sex intimacy.
“I hope this will inspire other countries in the region to follow suit and make changes to laws, policies and practices regarding LGBTQ+ rights and protections,” said Ms Yangyuenpradorn.
‘A better life for the next generation’
Despite broad public support – with a poll late last year suggesting 96 per cent of people were in favour of the bill – getting to this point has been a bumpy road, with several previous drafts failing to make it through parliament. But the recent administration, led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, has made it a signature issue.
As well as changing the legal definition of marriage, the new laws will give LGBTQ+ couples equal rights to get marital tax savings, to inherit property, and to sign medical consent forms should their partner be incapacitated.
“When the vote won today, we were crying in parliament – because it’s not just today, our struggle has been over 10 years,” Matcha Phornin, an activist involved in drafting the bill, told the Telegraph.
She added that the legislation demonstrates that Thai society accepts the LGBTQ+ community, and will “make a better life for the next generation”.
“This means so much, because we have the recognition of our rights and acceptance in our society. The law would never pass if society doesn’t accept us.”
