Legal revisions are required after the next election to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ and other minorities, opposition parties said.
The opposition parties, Pheu Thai and Move Forward Party (MFP) spoke at a recent online seminar series titled “The Buddy”, saying they would push for changes to ensure the protection of LGBTQ+ rights, regardless of health and legal recognition issues.
Chanan Yodhong of the Pheu Thai Party said Thailand’s legal system was in a binary system of male and female.
If society is to progress and reveal the diversity evident underneath the traditional binary system, the laws will need changing, Mr Chanan said.
“The party will not only consider protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ but will also take into account sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) when making policies,” Mr Chanan said.
The party has conducted studies into a more inclusive version of the law, such as doubling paid maternity leave from 90 days to 180 days.
Meanwhile, Thanyawat Kamolwongwat, the MFP MP, said the party will keep pushing the Marriage Equality Bill.
She said the fight to achieve marriage equality and anti-discrimination laws for the LGBTQ+ community will also carry on to the next term.
The the party has finished work on a sex worker protection bill and would open it to the public on March 28 this year. She said decriminalising sex work and prostitution was just the first step.
“The bill that we have finished drafting would allow businesses to offer sex work. Also, sex workers could run their businesses under legal protection as currently they are running businesses while being exploited by state authorities, business operators and even clients,” she said.