Thai House of Representatives Passes First Reading of Same-Sex Marriage Bill, Could Be Legally Enacted as Early as Next Year After the Third Reading
Thailand's House of Representatives passed the first reading of the draft amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code on same-sex marriage with 360 votes in favor, making Thailand a big step towards legalizing same-sex marriage, and Thailand is expected to be the first Southeast Asian country to pass a law on same-sex marriage.
On the 21st, the Thai House of Representatives passed the first reading of the draft amendment with 360 votes in favor and 10 votes against, and changed the terminology of the bill from "man and woman" to "individual" and "Mr. and Mrs." to "marital partner," in order to promote equality between same-sex couples and heterosexual couples.
Attempts by same-sex couples in Thailand to register their marriages have been rejected by the civil registry, citing the current Civil and Commercial Code, which stipulates that the marriage relationship consists of one man and one woman. Thailand's military cabinet passed a draft law on same-sex couples in 2018, but it was shelved due to parliamentary elections, and only reactivated when new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin took office in May.
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