Thailand Set to Legalize Same-sex Civil Unions, Let LGBTQ Couples Adopt
Thailand is set to become the first Southeast Asian country and the second in all of Asia to legalize same-sex civil unions after Taiwan did the same in 2019.
The same-sex civil partnership bill, which was already approved by the government, will now head to the parliament where it is extremely likely to be codified into law.
While the bill gives same-sex couples in civil unions most of the same rights that straight married couples enjoy, the bill doesn’t technically endorse LGBTQ marriages.
Perhaps most surprisingly, the bill will also allow same-sex couples to adopt children in the Kingdom–on top of allowing them to jointly manage assets and claim inheritance through their partner.
Under the Thai constitution, discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, and ethnicity is prohibited.
Despite that, and the country’s relative open-mindedness towards the LGBTQ community, gay and trans individuals in the country still don’t have all the same rights as straight people in the country, and oftentimes face discrimination in the workplace and in other areas such as education.
The same-sex civil partnership bill is a significant step in the right direction towards full equality for the LGBTQ community in Thailand.
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