It’s an historic Pride month for Thailand this year, with marriage equality finally a reality after decades of campaigning.
Yesterday, the caretaker Senate overwhelmingly passed the marriage equality bill, allowing same-sex couples to marry and have the same adoption and inheritance rights as those in heterosexual partnerships.
The two largest political parties in the parliament had firmly campaigned on the issue before the last election – Pheu Thai and Move Forward.
Thai PBS World reports that caretaker senators spent around 3 hours debating the bill before voting began. In the end, there were 130 in favour, with just 4 against, and 18 abstentions.
The bill now goes to the Constitutional Court for consideration and will then be presented to the HM the King by PM Srettha Thavisin. Once the bill receives royal assent, it will be published in the Royal Gazette and become law 120 days later.
Yesterday’s vote makes Thailand the first South East Asian country to recognise marriage equality and the third country in Asia to do so, after Taiwan and Nepal.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
