Thailand passes bill to legalise same-sex marriage, ‘return rights’ to LGBTQ groups
- The 500-member House of Representatives voted to pass the so-called marriage equality bill in a final reading on Wednesday
- When the changes come into force, expected by the end of the year, Thailand will recognise marriage registrations of same-sex partners age 18 or older
The 500-member House of Representatives voted to pass the “marriage equality” bill, technically an amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code, in a final reading on Wednesday. As many as 400 lawmakers backed the legislation, while 10 opposed it and five members either abstained or didn’t vote, after more than three hours of debate.
The bill now heads to the upper-house Senate, which is set to review it on April 2. It will then be endorsed by the king and published in the Royal Gazette. The amendments will take effect 120 days later.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s administration has made it a signature issue, and advocates say it would also burnish Thailand’s reputation as an LGBTQ-friendly tourist destination.
“This will not take away any rights from men and women, and will instead extend the rights to LGBTQ groups,” said Danuphorn Punnakanta, head of a panel of lawmakers that steered the bill. “We seek to return to them the rights that they have lost.”
The landmark legislation seeks to formally change the composition of a marriage from “a man and a woman” to “two individuals”, and change the official legal status from “husband and wife” to “married couple”. The move goes further than attempts by previous Thai administrations, which sought to grant equal rights for same-sex couples by formalising civil partnerships but stopped short of recognising their marriage.
LGBTQ activists in Thailand have fought for over a decade for the same rights to marry as heterosexual couples. Although Thai laws have protected LGBTQ people from most kinds of discrimination since 2015, attempts to formalise marriage rights had stalled.
In 2021, the Constitutional Court upheld the law recognising marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. Last year, a bill to recognise same-sex civil partnerships failed to clear parliament ahead of elections.
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Tourism boost
Legalising same-sex marriage could also have a positive impact on tourism, which contributes about 12 per cent to the nation’s US$500 billion economy. In 2019, before the pandemic froze international tourism, LGBTQ travel to Thailand generated about US$6.5 billion, or 1.2 per cent of gross domestic product, according to industry consultant LGBT Capital.
“It will become a selling point for Thailand and raise our strength in the global stage,” Wittaya said. “It will create a relaxed and safe atmosphere and attract more and more LGBTQ visitors. We could also see more weddings by LGBTQ couples, which could generate income across industries and local communities.”
Many same-sex couples will also consider moving back or relocating to Thailand for work, he said.
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“The marriage equality bill is just the first step. There are many more to come,” said Danuphorn of the ruling Pheu Thai Party.
A gender identity bill will likely be proposed in the next sitting of the parliament that will begin in July, he said.
