The upper house of the Thai parliament has passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, making Thailand the first Southeast Asian nation to recognize marriage equality.
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00:00Celebrations erupt in Bangkok's Senate after lawmakers passed a bill to legalise same-sex
00:07marriage in Thailand.
00:09The landmark decision paves the way for Thailand to become the first Southeast Asian country
00:14to recognise equal marriage rights, and the third country in Asia after Taiwan and Nepal.
00:21After living without access to the basic rights and security that heterosexual couples enjoy,
00:27Thai-Asian couple Voro Wanan and Ticha say this is a day-long overdue.
00:30If there is a law that says that we can take care of each other, it will make our lives
00:39safer.
00:40And that's something we've never had before.
00:43The bill passed the upper house in a landslide, after the lower house previously cleared the
00:47bill in a near-unanimous vote.
00:50The new laws will give same-sex couples in Thailand rights on adoption, inheritance and
00:54tax allowances.
00:57References to men, women, husbands and wives will also be changed to gender-neutral terms.
01:03The bill had overwhelming public support, but some activists have criticised the new
01:08laws for failing to recognise transgender people and people with non-binary gender identities.
01:15Speaking at Bangkok's Pride Parade earlier this month, the country's Prime Minister
01:19was already confident the bill would pass.
01:41The Prime Minister is set to open his official residence to the LGBTQ community and supporters
01:47to celebrate, before a parade marches from Government House to Bangkok's Central Business
01:52District.
01:54The legislation will now be sent to the Cabinet for approval before it goes to the King for
01:58Royal Assent, something that's seen as a mere formality.
02:03The new laws will come into force 120 days after publication in the official Royal Gazette.
02:09And activists hope the first same-sex weddings can be celebrated as early as October.
02:14The teacher and 401 say they will tie the knot as soon as possible.
02:31As well as being a landmark in equal rights legislation, many people believe the decision
02:37will drive up the economy, with many same-sex couples set to wed.
02:42The move could also attract more LGBTQ people to the country, and Thai activists hope it
02:47will encourage other countries in the region to follow their lead.
02:51Alex Chen and Rosie Greninja for Taiwan Plus.