Gay marriage and LGBTQ rights in general have been an issue in Thailand for a while now. Even though their conservative government pushes for gender equality, there are still equal rights struggles, especially for the LGBTQ community. All that being said, there seems to be a change happening in Thailand.
A bill passed in the country last week to amend “the Civil and Commercial Code to change the words “men and women” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and “marriage partners.” This would be a huge positive change for the community, and 400 out of 415 members of the Thai House of Representatives have already voted in favor of it. Two chose to abstain; three simply didn’t vote, and only ten voted against it. Not only that, but all the major political parties in the country are in favor of this bill, leading it to ultimately pass.
Even though some citizens of Thailand still don’t feel as accepted in their country, there is still a strong queer community in Thailand People are naturally going to have different sexual orientations and gender identities all over the world, and it’s time for all the people in love everywhere to be accepted as well.
Danuphorn Punnakanta, spokesperson and head of the Pheu Thai party, understands this and is ready to make history. He says that the people of Thailand “are not giving them rights. These are the fundamental rights that this group of people … have lost.” No one deserves to live a life where they don’t feel accepted simply for who they are or who they love, and the people of Thailand deserve to marry who they want.
The approval of this bill is definitely a historic moment for Thailand and the LGBTQ community. This is a development that can give us hope for positive change in the future.
