Thailand parliament passes same-sex unions bill

Thailand's lower house of parliament passed on Wednesday a bill that would legalize same-sex unions in the country.

The text still needs the Senate's approval and the king's endorsement to become law.

Thailand has one of the most open LGBTQ communities in Asia, but activists have said Thai conservative laws do not represent the community despite the changing social attitudes in the country.

What happened in parliament?

The bill was passed by an overwhelming majority of the 415 lawmakers present, with 10 votes against.

"We did this for all Thai people to reduce disparity in society and start creating equality," Danuphorn Punnakanta, chairman of the parliamentary committee on the draft bill, told lawmakers ahead of the reading.

"I want to invite you all to make history."

Almost all of Thailand's major parties supported the bill.

"Today society has proved to us that they care about LGBT rights," Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat, a member of the progressive Move Forward Party which has pushed for LGBTQ rights, told the French AFP news agency.

"Now we finally we will have same rights as others."

What happens next?

If passed, the bill would make Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. 

The bill scraps references to "men," "women," "husbands" and "wives in favor of gender-neutral terms.

Despite Thailand's vibrant gay and transgender community, the Thai LGBTQ community lacks many rights reserved for legal partners.

The new law would grant same-sex couples the right to adopt children.

Several privileges would also be made available, such as tax deductions, medical consent for spouses, joint property management and inheritance rights.

Across Asia, only Taiwan and Nepal recognize same-sex marriage, with India's highest court deferring the decision to parliament in October.