Same-sex marriage in Thailand

[1][2][3][4] Same-sex marriage legislation supported by the government of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and major opposition parties was introduced to the National Assembly in November 2023.

[9][10] The law replaced the terms "men and women" and "husband and wife" in the Civil and Commercial Code with the words "individuals" and "spouses", and also allows same-sex couples to jointly adopt children.

[21] In 2017, government officials responded favourably to a petition signed by 60,000 people calling for the legalisation of same-sex civil partnerships.

On 14 February 2023, Bangkok's Dusit district became the first jurisdiction in Thailand to issue partnership certificates (Thai: ใบรับการแจ้งชีวิตคู่, bairap kan chaeng chiwit khu) to same-sex couples.

[35] In September 2011, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Sexual Diversity Network proposed draft legislation on same-sex marriage and called on the Thai Government to support its legalisation.

[36][37] In September 2013, the Bangkok Post reported that an attempt in 2011 by Natee Teerarojjanapong, the president of the Gay Political Group of Thailand, to register a marriage with his male partner had been rejected.

The court stated that same-sex couples "cannot reproduce, as it is against nature, and that people of those communities are no different to other animals with strange behaviours or physical features".

The verdict cited LGBT people as a different "species" that needed to be separated and studied as they are incapable of creating the "delicate bond" of human relationships.

[41] The court ruling stated: Marriage is when a man and a woman are willing to live together, to build a husband and wife relationship to reproduce their offspring, under the morals, traditions, religion and the laws of each society.

In November 2023, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai Party announced that his government had approved a draft same-sex marriage law,[48] which Parliament began to debate on 21 December 2023.

[55][56] On 29 May, the chair of the ad-hoc committee announced that the Senate was expected to hold a parliamentary session on 18 June to vote on the bill.

Ahead of the law's implementation, Bangkok Pride leader Ann Chumaporn stated that the organisation would work with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to organise a mass wedding ceremony on 23 January 2025,[63] with the goal of having 1,448 same-sex couples participate, symbolising the Civil and Commercial Code section amended by the Marriage Equality Act.

[64] Prime Minister Shinawatra invited several same-sex couples to the Government House to celebrate their marriages, writing on Instagram: "January 23, 2025 will be the day we all make history together, the love of everyone is legally recognised with honour and dignity.

[7] A government survey conducted between 31 October and 14 November 2023 showed that 96.6 percent of the Thai public supported the same-sex marriage bill.