PeterRS Posted June 10, 2022 Posted June 10, 2022 It seems not to have been noticed by posters that earlier this week the Thai Cabinet gave its approval to a Same Sex Civil Partnership Bill. Quote Speaking after a cabinet meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the move is in line with global trends on diversity, gender equality and human rights. He said the bill’s passing will necessitate amendments to other laws to ensure same-sex couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples — including the right to adopt and inheritance. The Education Ministry has been instructed to hold public hearings to gather feedback from all stakeholders, including religious leaders. “This is done to ensure the bill is free from flaw. It will be beneficial to society and in line with international standards,” the prime minister said. Deputy government spokeswoman, Rachada Dhnadirek, said the cabinet also approved changes to the Civil and Commercial Codes to support the civil partnerships bill. The Council of State, which is the government’s legal advisory body, will scrutinise the civil partnerships bill, as well as the associated amendments. Ms Rachada said the bill recognises same-sex civil partnership and grants same-sex couples rights which are accorded to heterosexual couples, such as the right to adopt Under the bill, same-sex couples will be allowed to register their relationship so long as both partners are at least 17 years old. For the relationship to be recognised by the government, at least one individual in the relationship must be a Thai national. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2322310/same-sex-partnership-bill-gets-nod A Civil Partnership Bill has been discussed in Cabinet over the last 10 years and thing has happened. Clearly there will be lots of hurdles before the Bill can become law. This is especially true given Thai society's conservatism. As Nikkei Asia points out, on the day of the Cabinet decision Quote What has been most surprising is that the hashtag #SayNoToPartnershipBill immediately became the hottest trending topic on Twitter on the same day, with some netizens even calling the draft bill "fake equality." The #SayNoToPartnershipBill movement has led to strong resistance in both social networks and real life, as opponents claim the proposed law does not endorse equality among "straights" and LGBT groups. . . recent research indicates there is still persistent hostility, prejudice and discrimination against LGBT people, and social stigma still exists. For instance, those who identify as gay may not be allowed to teach at prominent universities. The disagreement over the bill means Thailand's LGBT community is likely to continue in a vacuum with no law to support same-sex marriage. https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/Thailand-s-historic-LGBT-bill-exposes-rifts-inside-community The Nikkei article adds there is a "strong rift" between certain groups within the LGBT community. Ryanqqq, Ruthrieston, vinapu and 1 other 2 2 Quote
