BANGKOK (Agencies) : In what is being hailed as a “monumental step forward,” Thailand is on the brink of becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
The nation’s Senate passed a marriage equality bill with an overwhelming majority vote of 130 to 4 after its final reading on Tuesday. While the bill awaits the king’s endorsement—a step viewed largely as ceremonial—it is expected to come into force 120 days following its publication in the royal gazette.
This landmark decision positions Thailand alongside Taiwan and Nepal as the only places in Asia to embrace marriage equality. Panyaphon Phiphatkhunarnon, the founder of Love Foundation, an NGO advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in Thailand, expressed that the bill’s impact would be profound, extending legal rights to LGBTQ+ couples that are equivalent to those of heterosexual couples, including matters of inheritance, adoption, and healthcare decisions.