Thailand has become the first country in southeast Asia to pass a bill legalising same-sex marriage, cementing it’s reputation as the region’s haven for LGBTQ+ couples.
After years of campaigning, the landmark legislation was passed by an overwhelming majority on Wednesday – with 400 of the 415 lawmakers present approving the bill.
“I got goosebumps [when it passed], it’s really a historic moment, it’s monumental,” Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn, a human rights associate at Fortify Rights who advised parliament on the bill, told the Telegraph.
“Marriage equality is not just about two people getting married, it’s a matter of life and death – it’s the right for a couple to be able to sign health care consent forms, to be able to adopt, access inheritance, or spousal benefits like tax deductions,” she said.
The legislation – which changes the definition of marriage from “a man and a woman” to “two individuals” – still requires approval from the Senate and royal endorsement to become law, but this is widely expected to occur before the end of the year.
This will make Thailand only the third country in Asia to recognise same-sex marriage, following Taiwan and Nepal. It also further cements its reputation as a relative haven for the LBGTQ+ community in southeast Asia, where countries including Brunei and Malaysia still criminalise same-sex intimacy.
‘It’s the beginning of equality’
“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.
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 for Thailand, with several previous drafts failing to make it through parliament.
“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”. She also intends to marry her long-term partner once the law comes into force, to capitalise on the rights already available to hetrosexual couples, from marital tax savings to inheriting property.
Thanawin Khampan, 32, also said he is now starting to think about marrying his boyfriend of three years after the landmark ruling.
“This is great news, it’s the beginning of equality. I’m glad that it is going to happen soon,” he told the Telegraph. “I think if we get married, we will have our families join and celebrate together like a small wedding.”
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