KUALA LUMPUR – The bill to legalise same-sex marriage passed its first reading in the Thai Senate today, bringing the Southeast Asian country another step closer to marriage equality.
Senate deputy president Singsuk Singpai said the first reading was passed with 147 votes for the bill, four against and seven deciding to abstain.
The Thai senate is unelected and said to be stacked with conservatives appointed by the last military junta.
The bill largely seeks to change references to “men”, “women”, “husbands” and “wives” in the marriage law to gender-neutral terms. It also means LGBTQ couples will be able to inherit wealth and adopt children.
After this, the bill goes to a committee. While the Senate cannot reject any proposed changes, it can send the bill back to the lower House for another debate.
If that happens, the bill will be voted on twice in the Senate.
Marriage equality supporters have been pushing for the bill for more than a decade but are often inadvertently blocked by military coups and political upheavals.
On March 27, the Thai Parliament passed the bill with 399 to 10 votes in the lower House.
In Asia, only Taiwan and Nepal recognise same-sex marriage, while India’s Supreme Court has deferred the decision to its Parliament in October. – April 2, 2024