Thai MPs voted on Wednesday March 27 in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. If this is a first in a South-East Asian country, the text must now pass before the Senate, before its final promulgation by the king. The procedure could take several more weeks, or even months.
“Today Thailand has taken another step towards equality between people,” reacted Danuporn Punnakanta, spokesperson for Pheu Thai, the party of Prime Minister Srettha Tavisin. The kingdom could thus become the first country in Southeast Asia to recognize the union between two people of the same sex, and the third in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal.
The proposal adopted by MPs aims to change references to “men”, “women”, “husbands” and “wives” in the Marriage Act, replacing them with gender-neutral terms. The new legislation must also give homosexual couples adoption and inheritance rights.
“A huge step for our country”
After decades of struggle by activists, the marriage for all project has today attracted broad support from the main political movements, both from the Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, and from Move Forward, which defends an in-depth overhaul of institutions. . Inducted last year, Mr. Thavisin has maintained his campaign promise, despite the presence of conservative pro-army parties within his maligned coalition.
“This is a huge step for our country,” Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn, spokesperson for the human rights group Fortify Rights, told Agence France-Presse. “I hope that the last stage will go smoothly, and that Thailand will be at the same level as the rest of the world when it comes to LGBT rights,” she added.
Thousands of people have participated in the Bangkok Pride march over the past two years, where the municipality offered marriage certificates, without official value, to homosexual couples who wish one on Valentine’s Day.