On March 27, 2024, Thailand’s lower house passed a marriage equality bill that would change the original wording of the marriage laws. The bill will amend the Civil and Commercial Code and change the words “man and woman” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and “marriage partners.” The bill passed with overwhelming support from Thailand’s House of Representatives with 400 of the 415 voting in favor, ten voting against it, and five not voting due to abstaining or not being present. The bill went to the Senate, and it passed with 147 of the 158 members voting in favor. The upper house set up a 27-member committee composed of senators, civil society, and ministers to review. The senators are expected to vote on it again in July, after the recess that starts the week of April 7 ends. It will then make its way to the King for royal endorsement. This would give same-sex couples the rights to get married in Thailand. Thailand would become the first country in South East Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, and it would join the countries of Taiwan and Nepal in marriage equality.
Thailand has struggled for decades with its inclusivity and equality. It is a country that primarily holds conservative values, and the government and state agencies also hold similar values. They’ve struggled for a while to pass marriage equality bills for Thailand’s LGBTQ+ community. Many of the LGBTQ+ community members of Thailand have reported they’ve faced discrimination in their everyday lives. The government led by Pheu Thai, has made marriage equality one of their main goals to work on passing, and they recently gained control last year and have already taken steps to ensure it happens. Danuphorn Punnakanta, a spokesperson for the Pheu Thai party and president of committee of the marriage equality bill said, “the amendment is for ‘everyone in Thailand’ regardless of their gender and would not
deprive heterosexual couples of any rights.” While this bill does allow marriage equality it was revealed that it’s not going to change the wording when it comes to parents. For now, the bill does not replace the words “mother and father” with parents. This is going to make it hard for LGBTQ+ couples with children or those wanting to adopt children in the future. Punnakanta also said, “For this law, we would like to return rights to the (LGBTQ+ group). We are not giving them rights. These are the fundamental rights that this group of people … has lost.” Many of the humans rights groups in Thailand have called this a historic win for Thailand but acknowledge the battle for full equality isn’t over. This is a good start for Thailand and the community living within it.
This is a great thing to happen in Thailand and I hope they pass the bill in the Senate soon. Members of the LGBTQ+ community deserve to marry who they love without government interference. This is the ending of this rather happy article. Please remember you are loved, cherished, and appreciated by many people. Ignore the negative things people say about you and the community; know things will improve. To the transgender students on the campus or reading this, remember you are loved and that you have people fighting for your rights.
