# Thailand passes bill legalizing same-sex marriage

By Human Events · Published 2024-06-19 · News & Analysis › Faith & Family · https://humanevents.com/news/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](https://humanevents.com/2023/12/06/jack-posobiec-at-cpac-japan-president-trump-will-restore-the-balance-of-power-in-asia-and-around-the-globe) to do so. The bill also changes references to "men," "women," "husbands" and "wives" to [terms](https://humanevents.com/2024/04/29/alex-mcfarland-pronoun-enforcement-is-unjust-and-unconstitutional) such as "person" and "spouse."

The bill was approved by 130 upper-house lawmakers out of 152 in attendance, according to [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/18/thailand-same-sex-marriage-equality-vote-bill-legislation), 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](https://humanevents.com/2024/04/08/bangladesh-opens-first-mosque-for-third-gender-hijra-community), 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.