Thailand chamber passes bill allowing same-sex marriage - UPI.com

Lawmakers from Thailand's Move Forward party celebrated the passage of the Marriage Equality Act, which gives same-sex partnerships the same legal status as marriages between a man and a woman, in the lower house of parliament in Bangkok. Reuters photo

March 27 (UPI).

Thai lawmakers have advanced legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in the southeast Asian country. Representatives of the lower house of parliament voted 400-10 in favor of the legislation, which changes the definition of marriage from a union between a man and a woman to a partnership between two people and provides tax breaks, inheritance rights and medical consent for same-sex relationships. The law, which also allows same-sex couples to adopt children, must pass the upper house of parliament and receive approval from King Vachiralongkorn, but is likely to take effect by November. The change would make the predominantly Buddhist state the third Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage after Taiwan and Nepal, underscoring its reputation as one of the most liberal countries when it comes to LGBT rights in a region where gay sex is a criminal offense in some countries.

"The purpose of this law is to give these rights back to this group of people, not to give them these rights," marriage equality committee chairman Danuphorn Punnakanta said before Parliament.

"This is the beginning of equality. It's not a one-size-fits-all solution to all problems, but it's a first step toward equality." The new law builds on existing legislation that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. There have been previous failed attempts to legalize same-sex marriage, and the Thai Constitutional Court in 2020 ruled the current law, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, constitutional.

However, 96.6 percent of those polled in a government survey last year supported the law, and leading political parties have included same-sex marriage rights in their election campaigns, with Prime Minister Sretta Tavisin promising to submit a marriage equality law to parliament. In February, Greece became the first Christian Orthodox country to legalize same-sex marriage, including parental and adoption rights, joining 15 other European Union countries in adopting equal marriage rights for gay partnerships. The move comes eight years after the country extended legal rights for cohabitation for heterosexual couples to same-sex cohabitation in 2015.