Thailand’s cabinet approves marriage equality bill to grant same-sex couples equal rights
- An amendment to the civil code will change the words ‘men and women’ and ‘husband and wife’ to ‘individuals’ and ‘marriage partners’ for same-sex couples
- If it becomes law, Thailand will be the third place in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, to allow same-sex marriage
Karom Polpornklang, a deputy government spokesperson, said the amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code will change the words “men and women” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and “marriage partners” for same-sex couples to be able to receive the same rights that heterosexual couples receive.
He said the law would guarantee the right to form a family in a relationship between same-sex couples, adding that the next step will be an amendment to the pension fund law to recognise same-sex couples as well.
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Parliament last year debated several legal amendments to allow either marriage equality or civil unions, which do not grant same-sex couples all the same rights as heterosexual couples. All the bills failed to be passed before the parliamentary session of the previous government ended.
The new government led by the Pheu Thai party, which took office in August, revived the attempt to pass a marriage equality bill, which it had promised during its election campaign.
Additional reporting by Reuters
