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Did Thailand vote to legalize gay marriage yesterday? Not yet, but it took an important first step. Here’s what happened and what happens next:
Thailand made a significant move towards legalizing same-sex marriage on Thursday. Four proposed laws that would change the rules to allow gay marriage passed their first big test in Parliament. These proposals came from different political groups, including the ruling Pheu Thai Party, the main opposition Move Forward Party, the civil sector, and the Democrat Party. Despite their differences, all these proposals share the same goal: to let people of the same sex get married.
Now, these proposals aren’t exactly the same. They have different ideas about things like how old you should be to get married, rules about getting engaged, how divorce should work, who takes care of the kids, and when these changes would start after they’re officially announced.
For instance, some proposals say people of any gender can get engaged, while others don’t. They also disagree on the right age to get married: some say 18, and others say 17. And they have different timelines for when these changes would kick in after being published in the official government record, the Royal Gazette.
These details will be ironed out in the next phase. A special group of 39 people in the House of Representatives will look closely at these proposals, suggest changes, and then Parliament will vote on these revised versions. If they agree, the final step is another vote for the complete approval of the laws.
Once these laws clear all three rounds of voting in the House, they’ll go to the Senate, where they have 60 days to make a decision. If the Senate says yes, the final step is for the King to sign off on them, making them official laws published in the Royal Gazette.
So, while Thailand hasn’t legalized same-sex marriage just yet, this first successful vote is a big deal and brings the country one step closer to making it happen.