The Lower House of Thailand votes to approve same-sex marriage.

Bangkok- Thailand's lower house passed a bill on same-sex marriage on Wednesday, gradually moving the country closer to becoming the first in Southeast Asia to recognize LGBT-based marriages, a legal shift hailed as a “fantastic first step” toward full gender equality.

The measure passed comfortably with 399 votes in favor and 10 against in the elected House of Representatives - some of whom waved rainbow flags during the historic vote. To become law, it must now be approved by the unelected upper house, the Senate, and then receive royal assent.

Once the law is passed, Thailand will rank alongside only Nepal and Taiwan in Asia in recognizing same-sex marriage. Gay rights advocates say the progress after years of setbacks shows a shift in Thailand's cultural space and makes the country a legal haven in Asia, where gay rights are virtually nonexistent in many Muslim and communist countries.

Government and progress

Srett Thaisin's government prioritized the marriage equality law, seeing its potential as soft power victories for Thailand, including possibly increasing LGBT tourism.

But the law is also a popular progressive victory for his administration after it was criticized for allying with conservative hard-line groups that blocked many other structural reforms to come to power after elections last year.

Consequences and reactions

Thailand has long had a reputation as a safe place for LGBT people to visit and live, despite the fact that the law has not kept pace with changing social attitudes on gender. The law was specifically changed in the Civil and Commercial Code, a law that has proven extremely difficult to rewrite.

Importance for the LGBT community

While the law has practical implications such as inheritances, tax breaks and medical powers of attorney for married LGBT couples, it states that same-sex couples adopting children under the law cannot be referred to as “parents” but must still use the gender-specific terms ‘father’ and “mother.”

Promises and hopes

To appease conservative parts of Thai society, including the country's Muslim population, a spokesman for the Pheu Thai Party, which leads the ruling coalition, promised that heterosexual couples would not be “stripped” of their legal rights. Instead, the goal is to address longstanding injustices against LGBTQ Thai people.

Conclusions

After years of denial by governments dominated by conservative elders, LGBT representatives say the law change will signal a new era for equality.