Thailand is edging ahead in the ongoing fight for LGBTIQ+ rights in South-East Asia.
A draft bill, which has reportedly been seven years in the making and is supported by lawmakers on both ends of the political spectrum, has this week reached the final stage of approval in Thailand's parliament.
The bill was officially endorsed by the Thai military government late last year but was sidelined ahead of the country's March elections.
According to Bloomberg, while the proposed law change wouldn’t allow same-sex couples to get married, it would afford them many of the same freedoms enjoyed by heterosexual couples, including the right to jointly manage assets and liabilities, and to inherit from their partners.
If the bill reaches consensus in parliament, Thailand would become only the second country in Asia to legalise same-sex unions, following Taiwan, which legalised same-sex marriage in May.
“It’s very significant that we now have LGBTIQ+ representation in politics," Kath Khangpiboon, a transgender lecturer in the social administration faculty at Thammasat University, told Bloomberg.
“Success in passing such legislation in many countries comes from having representatives lobbying and working on it,” she added.
“The key question is whether the bill truly reflects what people want."
Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, a transgender parliament member from the Future Forward party, said the bill was a step away from the goal of total equality for local LGBTIQ+ people.
“The partnership bill differentiates same-sex unions from marriages, and that’s pushing us further away from equality,” they said.
The bill is expected to be voted on in parliament early next year.
