Pride 2023 highlight: Will Thailand finally take a step toward same-sex marriage?

Like the rest of the world, Thailand celebrates Pride Month by hosting the most inclusive, striking, and alive events to honor the LGBTQ+ community. As a much-needed safe space in a country where queer rights and expression are increasingly being suppressed, the parade, which was first conducted in the nation’s capital in 2006, has long provided a venue for LGBTQ individuals in Thailand to congregate and celebrate their identity. Additionally, the march provides a venue for the neighborhood to promote awareness of the numerous social and political difficulties that still exist in the nation.

People take part in the annual LGBTQ Pride parade in Bangkok, Thailand, June 4. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

This year, it hosted the most wonderful festivities of Thailand’s PRIDE Celebration 2023 with the theme of “Pride for All”. This collaborative event aims to introduce Thailand as one of the premier destinations for pride celebrations globally. The main objectives include marriage equality, promoting gender recognition, sex workers’ rights, and equal health rights for the LGBTQ+ community. This year’s parade can be regarded as a remarkable event as the new prime minister promised to pass the law for same-sex marriage. This can be a shift for Thailand to make a new step in the region in terms of LGBT rights.

The situation of LGBTQ issues and inclusiveness in Thailand

Although Thailand boasts one of Asia’s most outspoken and prominent LGBT communities, many political activists claim that the country’s laws and traditional institutions continue to discriminate against LGBT persons and same-sex couples. The report titled “Economic Inclusion of LGBT Groups in Thailand” reveals that there is still a lot of discrimination against LGBTI individuals, especially in the job and housing markets. The report found that discrimination still exists when LGBT people search for access to education, jobs, and healthcare services and seek legal protection. There is no doubt that the Thai people wanted a change, but the process has not yet been completed. If the more progressive parties are not accepted as the next legitimate administration, it is difficult to have optimism for a better future for women and the LGBTQ+ community, but this does not imply that there is no hope. These rights have previously been brought to the public’s notice and made more widely aware by the feminist and LGBTQ+ protests.

Celebration of Pride Month and rays of hope for same-sex marriage

The “Beyond Gender” pride celebration in June 2023 brought attention to how important it is to support a variety of sexual orientations and gender identities in order to improve both peoples’ overall quality of life and their own well-being. The marches have prompted a national dialogue on gender equality and building an inclusive society, while also promoting important human rights like same-sex marriage and raising awareness of them.

The ‘Beyond Gender’ pride celebration kicked off on Sunday, June 4th, featuring six unique parades and performances – the processions started at the Phatumwan intersection and proceeded to the Ratchaprasong intersection. This also marks the second pride celebration since last year’s event, known as Pride Narumit. Credit: Pattaya Mail

Thailand’s next prime minister, the leader of the Move Forward Party, Pita joined a Pride Parade in Bangkok on 4^th June 2023 and promised to pass a law that will allow gender identity rights and same-sex marriage when he becomes premier. Pita told reporters at the parade, “Once the government is formed, we will support Marriage Equality (Act), Gender Identity (Act), and various other initiatives, including welfare”. “These few things will turn Pride Month’s celebration of diversity into pride always,” he stated. After the passage of the draft law and related legislations were stalled in parliament under the previous government, the coalition, which was comprised of eight political parties, jointly vowed to pass laws, including the Marriage Equality Act, to ensure equal rights for all couples regardless of gender.

Move Forward Party Leader Pita Limjaroenrat and Pheu Thai’s Paetongtarn Shinawatra take part in the annual LGBTQ+ Pride parade in Bangkok (Picture: Reuters). Credit provided by Metro

Potential challenges in the future for legalization

Despite the fact that Move Forward and Pheu Thai have explicit policies in favor of women’s and LGBTQ+ rights and that the composition of the upcoming Thai parliament is still up for debate; it is uncertain whether the living conditions of Thai women and the LGBTQ+ community will improve. Despite gaining the majority of the popular vote, the two parties, along with many other parties, are in talks to form a coalition but still need a second majority vote before their candidate can become prime minister in the coming months. Conservative political parties make up the majority of those who back the current administration. While some of these parties, like the United Thai Nation Party, have policies that support women’s rights, the majority of them do not or do not place them at the top of their priorities. Equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community will be granted if same-sex marriage is legalized, making it another crucial national issue. Only Pheu Thai, Move Forward, and Pheu Thai former members’ party Thai Sang Thai have publicly backed the same-sex marriage law in the case of women’s rights. Others have a stronger preference for the civil partnership measure.

Since regulating a new law requires many steps and agreements from different parties, passing the same-sex marriage law will also take a certain time to see a concrete result. But it does not mean that it is not possible to make a change. With the involvement of different parties working on LGBT and human rights, Thailand can be a new role model in Asia for accepting diversity and supporting inclusiveness.