Thai Government Set to Legalize Same-sex Unions by End of the Year
A bill being readied by the Thai government would legalize same-sex civil unions by the end of the year–and as of now, looks extremely likely to be codified into law.
The passage would be a huge step in the right direction for a country that has a relatively open attitude towards the LGBT community culturally, but at the same time doesn’t offer nearly as many LGBT legal protections or rights as most western countries.
In the past few years, in particular, Thais have become much more welcoming to gay and transgender individuals and this can be seen all across society.
Insurance behemoth Krungthai-AXA Life Insurance altered its policy terms to allow same-sex partners to become beneficiaries, the Thai government passed a gender equality act for LGBT individuals that protected them from workplace discrimination, and Unilever and Procter & Gamble both launched transgender-friendly ad campaigns that went viral on social media.
But although attitudes are changing, still a significant portion of Thailand’s more conservative population is against the idea. According to one poll, one third said it was okay for employers to discriminate against LGBT individuals under certain circumstances.
The junta plans to pass the bill ahead of next year’s elections in February.
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