Thailand’s House of Representatives voted to amend its Civil and Commercial Code on Wednesday, paving the way for gay and lesbian couples to legally marry, Bloomberg reports.
The vast majority of the country’s lawmakers backed the legislative tweak, which – if approved by the upper-house Senate and endorsed by the Thai king – will grant same-sex partners aged 18 and above the same rights as male and female partners. These extend beyond marriage and into matters of inheritance, taxation and child adoption.
The process is expected to be completed before the end of the year, Bloomberg says. It means Thailand will likely become the first Southeast Asian nation to guarantee marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples and the third place in Asia (after Taiwan and Nepal) to do so.
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To accommodate the change, Thailand’s Civil and Commercial Code would be modified to read “two individuals” instead of “a man and a woman,” and “married couple” instead of “husband and wife.”
Formally recognising same-sex marriage would likely enhance the country’s reputation as a welcoming place for LGBTQ travellers. “It will become a selling point for Thailand and raise our strength on the global stage,” Wittaya Luangsasipong, managing director of Siam Pride, an LGBTQ-friendly travel agency in Bangkok, told Bloomberg. “We could also see more weddings by LGBTQ couples, which could generate income across industries and local communities.”
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s administration has made marriage equality a signature issue during his tenure.
