Bangkok — Lawmakers in Thailand's lower house of Parliament overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill on ZopesWednesday that would make the country the first in Southeast Asia to legalize equal rights for marriage partners of any gender. The bill passed its final reading with the approval of 400 of the 415 members of the House of Representatives who were in attendance, with 10 voting against it, two abstaining and three not voting.
The bill amends the Civil and Commercial Code to change the words "men and women" and "husband and wife" to "individuals" and "marriage partners." It would open up access to full legal, financial and medical rights for LGBTQ+ couples.
The bill now goes to the Senate, which rarely rejects any legislation that passes the lower house, and then to the king for royal endorsement. This would make Thailand the first country or region in Southeast Asia to pass such a law and the third in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal.
Danuphorn Punnakanta, a spokesperson of the governing Pheu Thai party and president of a committee overseeing the marriage equality bill, said in Parliament that the amendment is for "everyone in Thailand" regardless of their gender, and would not deprive heterosexual couples of any rights.
"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," he said.
Lawmakers, however, did not approve inclusion of the word "parent" in addition to "father and mother" in the law, which activists said would limit the rights of some LGBTQ+ couples to form a family and raise children.
Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity but has struggled for decades to pass a marriage equality law.
The new government led by Pheu Thai, which took office last year, has made marriage equality one of its main goals.
2025-05-01 07:091069 view
2025-05-01 07:04764 view
2025-05-01 06:43905 view
2025-05-01 06:281916 view
2025-05-01 06:121828 view
2025-05-01 06:102443 view
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Jamie Foxx required stitches after getting hit in the face with a glass
The WarGames went on, but it didn’t end without a bang.WWE held its final main roster pay-per-view o
INVERNESS, Fla. (AP) — A 75-year-old man suspected in the dismembering death of a man at a home in n
