Lawmakers in Thailand voted on Tuesday to approve a wedding equality invoice, a transfer that places the nation on a transparent path to turning into the primary in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
Thailand’s Senate handed the invoice on Tuesday afternoon, almost three months after it was permitted by the Home of Representatives. The laws would go into impact after it’s reviewed by a Senate committee and the Constitutional Courtroom and receives royal assent from the king, a formality that’s broadly anticipated to be granted.
The invoice’s passage underscores Thailand’s standing as a relative haven for homosexual {couples} in Asia. Solely Taiwan and Nepal have legalized same-sex marriage. Whereas India got here shut final 12 months, the Supreme Courtroom deferred the choice to Parliament.
In some Asian nations, homosexual intercourse is a felony offense. Indonesia, the place homosexual marriage is prohibited, made extramarital intercourse unlawful in 2022. In 2019, Brunei made homosexual intercourse punishable with demise by stoning. It later mentioned it might not perform executions after widespread worldwide protest.
Thailand’s invoice calls marriage a partnership between two individuals age 18 and above, with out specifying their gender. It additionally offers L.G.B.T.Q. {couples} equal rights to undertake youngsters, declare tax allowances, inherit property and provides consent for medical remedy when their companions are incapacitated.
The invoice has been contentious since its first model was launched over 20 years in the past. Whereas Thailand is among the most open locations on the earth for L.G.B.T.Q. individuals, it’s socially conservative in different methods.
