Thailand poised to be the first Southeast Asian country to legalise marriage equality

This week, Thailand’s lower house of Parliament overwhelmingly passed a marriage equality bill that would legalise equal rights for married couples of any gender. 

After its final reading, the bill passed with the approval of 400 out of the 415 members voting. Of the remaining 15 members, two abstained, three did not vote, and only ten voted against the bill.

A consolidation of four draft bills from differing political parties, the final version of the bill amends the Civil and Commercial Code, changing the words “men and women” to “individuals”, and “husband and wife” to “marriage partners”.

The amendments would mean complete legal, financial and medical rights for LGBTQ+ couples in the country.

Footage from Thai Parliament after the final reading of bill shows members celebrating, flying rainbow flags and applauding:

เสียงปรบมือก้องสภา
หลังร่าง พ.ร.บ. #สมรสเท่าเทียม ผ่านวาระ 3 สภาผู้แทนราษฎร

แทนคำขอขอบคุณการทำงานตลอด 2 เดือนครึ่งที่ผ่านมาของกรรมาธิการวิสามัญทุกท่าน

ขอบคุณพี่น้องประชาชนทุกคน pic.twitter.com/HHJjkZHJ8W

— พรรคเพื่อไทย Pheu Thai Party (@PheuThaiParty) March 27, 2024

Thailand has struggled for more than a decade to pass a bill to legalise same-sex marriage, but the recent vote means Thailand is now poised to be the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise marriage equality. 

If the bill is approved, Thailand will join Taiwan and Nepal as the only countries in Asia that have marriage equality enshrined in law.

Next steps for marriage equality in Thailand

Now that the bill has passed in Thailand’s lower house, the bill must be approved by the senate – which historically, rarely rejects legislation that has passed the lower house.

Then, the bill is sent to the Thai king for royal ascent. With his endorsement, the bill will be published in Thailand’s Royal Gazette, and become law within 60 days. 

Spokesperson of the governing Pheu Thai party Danuphorn Punnakanta, who is also the president of a committee overseeing the marriage equality bill, said in Parliament that the amendment is for “everyone in Thailand”.

“For this law, we would like to return rights to the (LGBTQ+ community),” said Punnakanta. “We are not giving them rights. These are the fundamental rights that this group of people … has lost.”

The Pheu Thai post added: “Today is considered a good sign that Thailand will be the first country in south-east Asia to have equal marriage laws. It raises the level of Thailand in the eyes of the world.”