On Wednesday, Thai lawmakers voted overwhelmingly (400/415) in favor of same-sex marriage, bringing the country closer to becoming the first Southeast Asian nation to enshrine marriage equality.
The Senate must still approve the bill before it can be enacted into law by the king. This process is anticipated to span several weeks, if not months. Once signed by the king, the law, which has been in development for over a decade, is expected to come into effect within 120 days.
Although LGBTI+ visibility is high in the country, activists have long battled against Thailand’s conservative Buddhist values, with conservative laws persisting and contributing to ongoing discrimination against the LGBTI+ community.
If the bill goes into effect, Thailand will become the third Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage, following Taiwan and Nepal.
The government led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, elected in the wake of extensive student-led protests against the previous conservative administration, has promised to reform several laws related to LGBTI+ visibility.
The bill, approved by MPs, seeks to amend gender-specific references such as “men,” “women,” “husband,” and “wife” in the Marriage Act, replacing them with gender-neutral terms. The proposed legislation will grant same-sex couples rights regarding procreation and inheritance.
What is fyi.news?
