(Bangkok, June 18, 2024)—On June 18, 2024, Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage by passing the Act for Amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code, commonly known as the marriage equality bill. This bill extends equal access to the right to marriage and all affiliated rights for LGBTI+ couples in Thailand.
Fortify Rights has been monitoring and advocating for approval of the marriage equality bill since June 2022, publishing 16 publications on the legislative process and highlighting specific concerns, authoring two op-eds about the bill and the need for marriage equality, creating three films, and engaging in more than 50 strategic meetings and events with people in power. Fortify Rights also engaged with more than 30 media outlets, including The NYTimes, AP, Telegraph, DW, ABC News, and more. Earlier on January 3, 2024, Thailand’s parliamentary committee working on the marriage bill appointed Fortify Rights Human Rights Associate Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn to serve as an advisor to the committee.
Following its passage, Fortify Rights published a news release in English and Thai languages calling for Thai authorities to take proactive steps to ensure the immediate implementation of the law once it is enacted.