Thailand to Be Southeast Asia’s Pioneer With Same-Sex Union Bill

(Bloomberg) -- Thailand ratified a bill that will help it become the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex unions.

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The Cabinet approved the draft legislation after receiving opinions from LGBTQ and religious groups, which don’t object to the proposal, Ratchada Thanadirek, a government spokesperson, said in a statement. The bill will be forwarded to Parliament for approval before becoming law.

The bill doesn’t go as far as endorsing same-sex marriage, but will enable couples to adopt children, jointly manage assets and liabilities and have inheritance and heritage rights between partners -- which are not part of current laws.

If passed, Thailand would become the second jurisdiction in Asia to allow same-gender unions, with Taiwan having legalized same-sex marriage in 2019. The Cabinet’s move on Tuesday comes six months after the Constitutional Court ruled that laws should be expanded to guarantee greater rights for lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and queer individuals but stopped short of granting marriage equality.

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