Thailand passes bill legalizing same-sex marriage

Thailand's senate passed a final bill on Tuesday that will legalize same-sex marriage, making it the first country in Southeast Asia to do so. The bill also changes references to "men," "women," "husbands" and "wives" to terms such as "person" and "spouse."

The bill was approved by 130 upper-house lawmakers out of 152 in attendance, according to The Guardian, and will now be sent to King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The law will take effect 120 days after it has been published in the royal gazette. 4 members of the senate voted against the legislation and 18 abstained from voting.

The law will make Thailand the third country in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage after Taiwan and Nepal, but the first in Southeast Asia. It will also reportedly allow same-sex couples to have the same rights in child adoption, healthcare consent, and inheritance.

Thailand's neighbors, such as Myanmar and Malaysia, still enforce laws criminalizing same-sex marriage and sexual acts. Federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya in Malaysia specifically adhere to Sharia codes stemming from Islam. Just 5 years ago, Brunei, another country in the region, made gay sex punishable by death by stoning, something it later said would not be enforced.