Thailand is about to legalise same-sex marriage

Pheu Thai Party’s MPs Sakchai Tancharoen and Thantaree Santapan waving Pride flags to celebrate parliament’s vote to recognise same-sex marriages

Thailand is poised to make history as the first country in South East Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

In a nearly unanimous decision, 400 members of the House of Representatives supported a bill recognizing same-sex marriages, also known as gay marriage, on Wednesday.

"This is the beginning of equality," said Danuphorn Punnakanta, an MP and chair of the lower house’s marriage equality committee, while presenting the draft bill. "This law wants to return these rights to this group of people, not grant them the rights."

Campaigners calling for marriage equality at Bangkok Pride in 2023

For the bill to become law, it must now pass through the Senate and receive endorsement from Thai King Vajiralongkorn. It would then take effect 60 days later.

"I’m glad and already excited that it is really going to happen," said gay police officer Phisit Sirihirunchai. "I am coming closer and closer to seeing my dreams come true."

Thailand has earned a reputation as a relative bastion of LGBT+ rights in a region that has been slow to embrace them. It already has laws prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, making it one of Asia’s most LGBT+ friendly countries.

The bill, aside from being a symbolic gesture of approval after years of campaigning and failed attempts, would have tangible impacts on the daily lives of LGBT+ couples. It would grant them equal rights concerning marital tax savings, inheritance, and decision-making regarding medical treatment for incapacitated partners. Additionally, it would permit same-sex spouses to adopt children.

‘I want to invite you all to make history’, Danuphorn Punnakanta, chair of the parliamentary committee on marriage equality, said before the vote

However, the bill retains the use of the term "fathers and mothers" instead of the "parents" recommended by the marriage equality committee.

"Equality has happened today. It’s a historic day for the Thai parliament that stands to fight for the rights of LGBTQI+," said Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat, a gay MP from the opposition party Move Forward who has been campaigning for marriage equality for a decade.

Although previous attempts to legalize same-sex marriage in Thailand have failed, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, a vocal supporter since taking office in September, has pushed for its legalization. The lower house passed four draft bills on marriage equality in December, culminating in the passage of a combined version on Wednesday.

Around the world, 37 countries have legalised same-sex marriage (green) while 12 have a death penalty for homosexuality (red)

If the bill receives royal ascent, Thailand would join the ranks of the 38 countries worldwide that have legalized same-sex marriage. Estonia recently became the first ex-Soviet Union country to do so, while Greece’s parliament and Nepal also made significant strides in recognizing same-sex marriages.

Conversely, some countries are moving backward on LGBT+ rights, such as Uganda, which introduced the death penalty for homosexuality in 2023. In a global context, same-sex activity remains illegal in 65 countries, with 12 of them enforcing it with the death penalty.