Thai parliament passes same-sex marriage bill

Thailand’s House of Representatives has passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, paving the way for the kingdom to become the first Southeast Asian nation to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. 

The lower house of parliament overwhelmingly voted in favour of the bill, with 400 supporting its passage and just 10 against it in a final reading on Wednesday.

The Senate now has 60 days to approve the bill or seek amendments. It will then be reviewed by the Constitutional Court before being submitted for royal endorsement. 

The Constitutional Court in 2020 ruled that current matrimonial law, which only recognises heterosexual couples, was constitutional. But it also recommended legislation be expanded to ensure minorities’ rights.

In December, the parliament approved the first readings of four different draft bills on same-sex marriage and tasked a committee to consolidate them into a single draft.