( Bangkok ) – The Thai parliament’s lower house should promptly slip a similar- sexual relationship act that the lower house approved by an overwhelming preponderance on March 27, 2024, Human Rights Watch said nowadays. Thailand would become the first country in Southeast Asia, and the next in Asia, to identify similar- sexual connections.
Thailand’s House of Representatives passed the Marriage Equality Act with the acceptance of 400 of the 415 individuals present. Ten voted against the act, two stopped, and three did not vote.
” Thailand is poised to take an important concept to the rest of Asia by recognizing same- sexual associations”, said Kyle Knight, interim i- director of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual ( Gay ) rights system at Human Rights Watch. ” Lawmakers should not put off this significant occasion, which may inspire interest in the region’s respect for the LGBT people’s fundamental rights,” said one legislator.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ( ICCPR ), which Thailand has ratified, recognizes the rights to marriage and to form a family as fundamental rights. The notion that a “family,” as defined under international human rights law, must conform to any single model has been rejected by a number of international human rights organizations, including the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
Thailand’s Marriage Equality Act makes important amendments to the civil and commercial code language concerning spouses, in particular by changing “men and women” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and “marriage partners”. However, LGBT rights advocates worry that the new definition of “mother” and “father” wo n’t apply to people who are trying to adopt and raise children because it will be more gender-neutral.
Thirty-seven nations currently have same-sex marriage recognized in their national laws. In 2019, Taiwan became the first nation in Asia to acknowledge same-sex unions. While a final judgment is in the works, Nepal has acknowledged some same-sex unions in 2023 and 2024 as a result of an interim order from the Supreme Court.
According to Human Rights Watch, Thailand has the opportunity to match its favorable global reputation for LGBT rights with tangible legal protections by passing same-sex marriage legislation. Thailand has been a destination for LGBT tourists for decades, and particularly transgender people seeking gender-affirming healthcare. Thailand continues to provide no protection for transgender people, and lawmakers should seriously consider passing much-needed reforms in addition.
According to Knight,” social acceptance has its limitations and does not replace protections grounded in law.” Thailand is on the verge of providing more legal protections to LGBT people than it has ever had in its history and acting as a positive example for the region.
