Thailand's king signs marriage equality law, making the country the first in Southeast Asia has recognized same-sex unions, the BBC reported. The bill was approved by the Senate in June, but required royal approval to become law, quoted by News.bg
Thailand has long been seen as a relative haven for the LGBTQ+ community in a region where such attitudes are rare. The new law uses gender-neutral terms instead of "husbands", "wives", "husbands" and "women". It also gives same-sex couples adoption and inheritance rights.
"Congratulations on everyone's love", wrote Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on the social network H.
When the law goes into effect, Thailand will become only the third country in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, where same-sex couples can marry. In 2019, Taiwan's parliament became the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Nepal registered its first same-sex union in November last year, five months after the Supreme Court ruled in its favour.