The Senate’s last round of election is scheduled for this month, and the Marriage Equality Bill is expected to pass. Thailand will become the first nation in Southeast Asia to support gender equality with the passage of the expenses, which may become effective by the end of the year.
According to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, the state wants to reassure LGBTQ societies that Thailand is a loving and safe place to stay.
The Marriage Equality Bill ( or the” Bill of Civil and Commercial Code Amendment” ) is a bill intended to amend marriage laws and other marriage regulations to make sure same-sex couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples.
How did the idea consider keep?
The idea behind the costs began in 2001 when Interior Minister Purachai Piamsomboon proposed a law allowing same-sex unions.
” Is it time for Thailand to embrace identical- sexual relationship? Then we should consider what Thai society deems appropriate and what we can tolerate,” he said in April of that year.
He gave instances of nations that had passed similar laws, and Thailand does update its laws.
However, his plan was shot down by Thaksin Shinawatra, excellent minister at that time, who said Thailand was never ready for the queer problem.
Additionally, some politicians were against the plan.
It was reinstated in 2019 as a legal agreement costs while Gen Prayut Chan- o dah was in charge.
A civil partnership and union justice costs were approved in the House of Representatives in 2022, but they were dropped when congress wasdissolved to make way for the May 14th, 2023 general election.
The lower apartment approved four marriage equality charges in December of last year that the government, the Move Forward Party, the Democrat Party, and the legal field had all suggested. The majority of the material was drawn from the government proposal, which the House council established to examine the bills.
The wedding justice act was passed by the House on March 27.
What justifies such a laws, exactly?
According to the law, a community organization is a significant cultural development device, and Thailand requires legislation to raise the standard of living for its citizens.
But, the Civil and Commercial Code forbids the formation of people between men and women.
According to observers, this is inconsistent with the state of community now, where people made up of same-sex individuals are placed in foster care in the same way that they do those who are married.
In order for same-sex people to be engaged or married, some parts of the Civil and Commercial Code had been amended.
Married identical- sex couples may have similar rights, obligations, and community standing under the measure such as those of married men and women. The intention is to strengthen familial ties that are established between citizens regardless of sexual orientation.
What is happening then?
The bill was given its first checking by the Senate on April 2 and is currently being reviewed by a committee of the lower house of 27 members.
The council includes senators, legal community members and officials. On June 18, legislators are expected to cast a second vote on the act.
The lower apartment perhaps schedule a second round of voting to pass the law without the Senate’s approval.
Following legislative approval and royal support, the legislation is anticipated to go into effect 120 time after its publication in the Royal Gazette.
What are the important information?
The bill does allow relationship to people of the same sex and grant them the same rights as heterosexual couples.
They can even pick on other benefits including the right to choose children, control and acquire the assets of their spouses, the right to divorce, appropriate to state welfare if their spouses are civil servants, and tax deductions.
When they are 18 or older, their marriage can be registered. However, if they are under 20, they need to have parental consent.
The bill uses gender- neutral terms for a married couple as” two individuals” instead of” a man and a woman”, and their legal status is changed from “husband and wife” to” spouses”.
Can foreigners get their marriage registered?
Any national who is LGBTQ can register with their Thai spouses or have their marriage registered in Thailand. When the bill becomes law, same-sex couples who are married abroad will have the right to a spousal visa.
What can we expect?
When the law is enforced, it should create a better understanding among different groups, strengthen family institutions, empower children who are LGBTQ or living with LGBTQ families, ensure legal protections among LGBTQ families, and reinforce Thailand’s role as LGBTQ rights supporters in the international community and highlighting government’s intention to support their rights.
What needs to be improved?
Some portions of the bill still need to be modified. For instance, Section 1453 allows a woman to remarry after her husband passes away or divorces after 310 days unless the woman gave birth to the same spouse, remarries after the same spouse, has a medical certificate proving that she is not pregnant, or has a court order.
The amended bill still uses the phrase “woman,” which refers to a biological woman, and ignores those who can bear children like a transman who can still give birth.
The phrase “father and mother” is still in use to refer to a child’s parents, but the law has not yet changed that phrase.
As a gender-neutral term, civil organizations advise using the word “first-level guardian” to refer to a couple in sections relating to guardianship because it ensures the inclusion of all families.
Additionally, there is a need to change another related gender identity law, since transwomen and transwomen are still referred to as having their birth genders rather than their preferred gender.