Thailand's lower house of parliament has passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage. The initiative was supported by 400 of the 414 members of parliament who attended the meeting. Now the law must be approved by the Senate and King Bhumibol Vajiralongkorn, BBC writes, UNN reports .
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If this happens, Thailand will become the first country in Southeast Asia to recognize same-sex marriage. In Asia, same-sex marriage is legalized only in Nepal and Taiwan.
This is the beginning of equality. It is not a universal cure for all problems, but it is the first step towards equality. This law wants to return these rights to this group of people, not give them any rights
The law describes marriage as a union of two people, not just a man and a woman. The law is expected to enter into force by the end of 2024.
The final version of the bill to legalize same-sex marriage was approved by the Thai government in December 2023. Before that, the country had already made several attempts to legalize same-sex unions. The last attempt was made by the opposition Movement Forward party in the spring of the same year, but it was unsuccessful.