Thailand passes landmark Bill recognising same-sex marriage

Thailand’s same-sex marriage Bill cleared its final hurdle on June 18, with the Senate endorsing it in a special session and putting Thailand on course to be the first in South-east Asia to guarantee marriage equality.

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The Senate gave final approval – by 130 votes to four, with 18 abstentions – to changes to the marriage law allowing same-sex couples to tie the knot.

The new legislation will now go to King Maha Vajiralongkorn for royal assent and come into force 120 days after publication in the official Royal Gazette.

Thailand will become only the third place in Asia where same-sex couples can get hitched, after Taiwan and Nepal. Activists hope the first weddings could be celebrated as early as October.

“We are very proud of everyone involved in this historic moment. You have helped to bring about a massive change,” Ms Plaifah Kyoka Shodladd, an LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) activist and member of the committee that scrutinised the law, told senators after the vote.

“Today, love wins over prejudice.”