Thailand passes landmark bill to legalize same-sex marriage

“We celebrate the successful passage of the Marriage Equality Bill, and we celebrate the launch of Equal Love,” Thai Prime Minister Sretha Thavisin wrote in X on Tuesday. “'Variety' is not 'difference'. May every love be beautiful and strong.”

Neela Ghoshal, senior director of law, policy and research at Outright International, said the move is a milestone for the region. Global LGBTIQ Advocacy Group. same-sex relationships illegal In Malaysia, and not criminalized in Indonesia, the LGBTQ+ community faces growth threat

Ghoshal said, “It's great to see a country in the region going in the opposite direction. “It defies the stereotype that equality is a Western agenda or imposition.”

It also signals progress in Thailand, he added, which will be among the few in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

“On LGBTQIA issues in general, Thailand is friendly and accepting. But legal progress has been slow,” Ghoshal said, adding that Thailand, while known for providing gender-affirming care, offers few legal protections to transgender people.

Three dozen countries have legalized same-sex marriage before Thailand Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. Taiwan led the way in Asia in 2019. In Nepal, some same-sex marriages have begun to be recognized under an interim order by the country's top court. A final verdict is still in the works.

A 2023 Pew Research Center survey It found that 60 percent of adults in Thailand are in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. Thavisin, the prime minister, has stressed that the Thai government is committed to marriage equality and held Bangkok's Pride parade this month.

“We will continue our fight for social rights for all people regardless of their status,” he said wrote on x.

The law passed Tuesday swaps terms like “husband” and “wife” in Thai marriage law for gender-neutral language, such as “husband.” One member of the Senate fought that change. Retired army general Orapong Sa-Nganate said the conditions would be cut “by the most violent means of destroying the family establishment.”

He added that “If the law does not contain the word 'husband' or 'wife', it will disappear from the Thai language. It will affect the establishment of the family, how we define gender and the structure of society.”

But activist Plaifah Kyoka Shodlad, 18, who was a member of the special committee formed to consider the bill, said on the Senate floor that Tuesday marked a historic step for Thai society and future generations.

“We can now proudly say we have equal marriage in Thailand,” Shodlad said after the vote. “The definition of a family will change forever.”