Bangkok: Thailand has legalized gay marriage and has also passed a new law for it. With this, Thailand has become the first country in Southeast Asia and the third country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Earlier, Nepal and Taiwan had also approved gay marriage. Now the “Marriage Equality Act” has been legally recognized in Thailand, and this new law comes into effect from today.
From today, gay marriage has been legally recognized in Thailand, due to which members of the LGBTQ community will now be able to get married. Around 300 LGBTQ couples are expected to get married on the first day of this change. There has been a growing demand for the legalization of gay marriage for the past 20 years, and now anyone 18 years of age or older can have a gay marriage.
Today i.e. on Thursday, a big event was organized in a major shopping mall in Bangkok, in which around 300 gay couples will complete their marriage formalities. On this occasion, all rights have been given to the partners. This event has been organized under the Marriage Equality Act, which has been approved by both the houses of the Parliament. Apart from this, the Parliament has also made necessary amendments in the civil and commercial codes.
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The Parliament of Thailand has made an important change in the law, replacing the words 'individual' and 'marriage partner' in place of husband and wife. After this amendment, couples from the LGBTQ+ community will get the same rights as traditional married couples. Under this, these couples will get equal rights in all fields, legal, financial and medical. Apart from this, both the partners will have equal rights on the properties and they will be able to use the property jointly.
Today, gay marriage is legally recognized in 31 countries of the world, including France, Germany, Belgium and America. However, there are some countries where gay marriage is banned. In countries like Yemen, Iran, Brunei, Nigeria and Qatar, there is a provision of strict punishment for gay marriage, which can even include death penalty. Even in India, the Supreme Court had refused to give legal recognition to gay marriage.
In some countries, gay marriage is not legalized, but it is also not considered a crime. These include countries like India, China, Sri Lanka, Britain and Russia.
The Equal Marriage Bill came into force from today. After which now there is a possibility of creating a new world record in Thailand. Bangkok Pride believes more than 500 couples in the capital Bangkok and 1,448 couples across the country will officially register their marriages. The move would break the record for LGBTQIA+ marriage registrations set by Brazil in 2014.
