Thailand’s lawmakers approve bill to legalise same-sex marriage
Thailand will become the first Southeast Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage after the nation’s Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a bill to enact the “Marriage Equality Law.”
In April this year, the bill was backed by the majority in the House of Representatives, with 400 of the 415 lawmakers present at the parliamentary session voting in favour of it, thus making its way to the Senate.
Meanwhile, the bill passed its final reading at a Senate session on Tuesday. One hundred and thirty of the 152 lawmakers present voted in favour of the bill, four were against it, and 18 abstained, clearing the final hurdle for the bill to become law.
The bill will now have to be sent to the King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, for a pro forma endorsement. This will be followed by publication in the Government Gazette, setting a date within 120 days for the law to come into effect.
Thailand is known for its reputation and openness to the LGBTQ community but has struggled to pass laws to permit same-sex marriage, but the latest development will now pave the way for an era in the country.
After Taiwan and Nepal, Thailand will become the third Asian country to recognise same-sex marriage, granting full legal, financial, and medical rights to marriage partners of any gender under the Marriage Equality Act.
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