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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Some Kind of Gay Union Possible (Maybe...or not)

    SD and I (and a number of our like-minded friends) have been waiting for something like this for years:

    Thailand May Be First in Southeast Asia to Allow Same-Sex Unions
    By Randy Thanthong-Knight


    August 28, 2019, 4:00 AM GMT+7


    • Lawmakers in ruling coalition, opposition support draft bill
    • Some criticize proposal as it doesn’t go as far as marriage



    People rally for LGBT rights in Bangkok, May 2019. Photographer: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

    In Thailand, the ruling coalition and opposition lawmakers don’t agree on much. Yet within both camps there’s growing support for legalizing same-sex unions.Seven years of work has yielded a draft bill that is near the final stage of approval in parliament. If passed, Thailand would be the first in Southeast Asia to allow such unions, and the second in Asia after Taiwan, which legalized them in May.

    The law in Thailand wouldn’t go as far as endorsing marriage yet would allow same-sex couples to jointly manage assets and liabilities, and to inherit from their partners.

    Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle basically agree on the principles behind the legislation though opposition members have criticized it for not going as far as marriage equality. Proponents say it’s a step in the right direction in a region that’s behind in recognizing and guaranteeing rights of the gay, lesbian and transgender community.

    The bill -- approved by the Cabinet late last year ahead of March’s general election -- is back in the spotlight as the new parliament is in full session. One difference this time is that there’s a group of elected, openly-LGBT representatives in the parliament for the first time in the history of Thailand’s eight-decade-old legislature.

    “It’s very significant that we now have LGBT representation in politics,” said Kath Khangpiboon, a transgender lecturer in the social administration faculty at Thammasat University. “Success in passing such legislation in many countries comes from having representatives lobbying and working on it.”


    Kath Khangpiboon

    There’s a growing social movement in Thailand demanding same-sex unions and the government recognizes that, she said. “The key question is whether the bill truly reflects what people want,” she added.

    Laws Lag

    Though Thailand has an LGBT-friendly image and takes in an estimated $5.3 billion annually from LGBT visitors, the country’s laws are mixed in accommodating LGBT rights. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal, yet some in the LGBT community say they have trouble finding jobs outside the tourism, media and entertainment industries. Currently, same-sex couples don’t have legal rights.

    The bill, which is expected to come up for a vote in parliament early next year, could have enough support to become law. The backing of the ruling coalition is key, as it has a slim majority in the Lower House.

    A complication is that the coalition and opposition have different approaches to legalizing same-sex unions. The government and the Justice Ministry support the partnership bill as drafted. The opposition, primarily the progressive Future Forward party and some rights groups, wants to scrap the bill, and amend the country’s civil code to legalize the unions.
    “There needs to be a consensus for this bill pass,” said Kerdchoke Kasamwongjit, deputy director general of the Justice Ministry’s Rights and Liberties Protection Department, who has been working on the bill since its inception in 2012. “This law can’t satisfy everyone but it’s a good basis for future laws that could be added to expand the rights.”
    Kerdchoke said he thinks the majority of the LGBT community supports the partnership bill.

    However, the opposition doesn’t see the bill as going nearly far enough.

    “The partnership bill differentiates same-sex unions from marriages, and that’s pushing us further away from equality,” said Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, a transgender parliament member from Future Forward.


    Tanwarin Sukkhapisit

    Photographer: Chalinee Thirasupa/AFP via Getty Images

    Tanwarin, one of the four LGBT lawmakers from Future Forward, is a leading opponent of the measure. There’s currently no law allowing for a change in legal gender in Thailand, so the partnership bill would in effect be applied to some people in the transgender community as well.
    She proposes amending the country’s Civil and Commercial Code that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman to a union between two persons. “Our law should be genderless,” she said.

    The draft version of the civil partnership bill is currently being reviewed by the Office of the Council of State, an advisory body to the government. After receiving approval from the Justice Minister and Justice Permanent Secretary, the bill will then be forwarded to the parliament for a vote.

    “I’m optimistic that we’ll see a positive change,” Tanwarin said. “Equal rights isn’t too far from reality for Thailand.”
    Majestically enthroned amid the vulgar herd

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Good news, or at least a good start.

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    ...^agree: even a little progress is to be welcomed in a country notoriously resistant to social evolution...
    Last edited by tomcat; 28-08-2019 at 07:35 AM.

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Indonesia used to be rather tolerant towards non-hetero folk. And normally I do not like the word tolerate, as it implies putting. Up with a negative. But in this case that's exactly what it is, because Indonesians have really turned and regularly hold community, school and parental meetings about the three evils, usually titled Anti-drugs, Anti-porn and Anti-LBGT.

  5. #5
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    In a Country with such a huge unhidden gay population, you'd think it would make sense.

    Although the place is a huge unconcealed whorehouse too, they try and sweep under the carpet.

  6. #6
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    I thought only AFL players were gay. Now Union players are as well.

  7. #7
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    I guess just talking about it is positive movement and who knows, I never would've thunked that they'd legalize marijuana here until they did...

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dillinger View Post
    In a Country with such a huge unhidden gay population, you'd think it would make sense.

    Although the place is a huge unconcealed whorehouse too, they try and sweep under the carpet.
    Thailand has always seemed tolerant on an unofficial / social level. Government and bureaucracy here is still about 50 years behind though.

  9. #9
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    Surely this limp wristed government has bigger, more important issues to resolve, before glory hunting for a human rights pat on the back. I'm not saying this is a non issue, but as KW pointed out, Indonesia has greater social cohesion problems.

    The current attitude to long term aliens needs fixing first.

  10. #10
    I am not a cat
    nidhogg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kmart View Post
    Thailand has always seemed tolerant on an unofficial / social level. Government and bureaucracy here is still about 50 years behind though.
    My work environment is very LGBTQWRST friendly. Approximately 1/4 of the senior staff are L or G, and we have had several junior T staff. There is certainly no discrimination that I can see, and indeed - many are amongst the most senior staff.

    The one time we did have kerfuffles was when an originally male intern decided "he"* was now a T. The guy was built like a rugby player, and suffice to say nature had not been kind to him in the looks department. Even when "she"* started turning up in tiny miniskirts nobody batted an eye lid. The shit (nearly literally) hit the fan when "she"* started using the ladies communal staff toilet....... there were a lot of unhappy biddies at that point.


    * Pronouns - yeah - whatever.

  11. #11
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    panama hat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    SD and I (and a number of our like-minded friends) have been waiting for something like this for years:​
    How would this affect you directly?

    But yes, the more discussion at open and official level the sooner the ball gets rolling . . . so to speak

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    How would this affect you directly?
    ...I would be able to inherit his worldly goods should he have a balcony mishap; he might be able to add me to his very upmarket health insurance as a dependent; my visa situation could possibly change...anything else depends on what's in the proposed law...

  13. #13
    In Uranus
    bsnub's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    ...I would be able to inherit his worldly goods should he have a balcony mishap

  14. #14
    Thailand Expat
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    ...I would be able to inherit his worldly goods should he have a balcony mishap; he might be able to add me to his very upmarket health insurance as a dependent; my visa situation could possibly change...anything else depends on what's in the proposed law...
    Ah yes, the visa thing . . . and balcony, of course

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