Thailand’s government on Tuesday approved a bill on equal marriage, which, if approved by Parliament, would make the country the third country in Asia to allow same-sex unions.
The Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, told the media today after concluding a meeting of her cabinet at Government House that the bill will be presented to the Legislature on December 12.
Although Thailand has one of the largest and most visible LGTBI+ communities in Asia, activists argue that the country’s conservative laws do not reflect social changes and attitudes.
In 2022, the House of Representatives (Lower House) has already debated several bills in this regard, from civil unions for same-sex couples to equal marriage, but did not approve any of the proposals before the dissolution of the Legislature. May.
Precisely, the current bill is the successor of one of the proposals, promoted by the Move Forward party, which won the election but failed to form a government, and endorsed by the deputies in the first reading.
In Thailand, bills must go through three readings in the House of Representatives before passing through the Senate and receiving approval from the Constitutional Court to be implemented with the king’s signature.
If this marriage equality bill is passed by Parliament and receives royal assent, Thailand will become the third country in Asia, after Taiwan (in 2019) and Nepal (in June this year), to recognize same-sex marriage. that sex.
