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       Thailand Lawmakers Bring Same-Sex Marriage a Crucial Step Closer

       The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill now goes to Thailand’s Senate.

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       An L.G.B.T.Q. parade in Bangkok in 2018.Credit...Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters

       By Muktita Suhartono

       Reporting from Bangkok

       March 27, 2024Updated 6:48 a.m. ET

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       Thailand’s House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, bringing the measure a significant step closer to becoming law.

       The bill passed by 400 votes to 10, with a handful of abstentions, and now the legislation goes to the Senate. If it passes there, and if Thailand’s king approves it, the country will become the first in Southeast Asia to recognize same-sex marriages. In Asia more broadly, only Taiwan and Nepal have done so.

       Thailand’s bill describes marriage as a partnership between two individuals, rather than between a woman and a man. It will also give L.G.B.T.Q. couples equal rights to various tax savings, the ability to inherit property, and the power to give medical treatment consent for partners who are incapacitated. The draft will also grant adoption rights. Thai law currently allows only heterosexual couples to adopt, although single women can adopt children with special needs.

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       Muktita Suhartono reports on Thailand and Indonesia. She is based in Bangkok. More about Muktita Suhartono

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