Thailand Lawmakers Overwhelmingly Approve Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Thailand's lower house of Parliament overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill, making the country the first in Southeast Asia to legalize equal rights for marriage partners of any gender. The bill now goes to the Senate and then to the king for royal endorsement. If passed, it would amend the Civil and Commercial Code to provide full legal, financial, and medical rights for LGBTQ+ couples, but did not include the word "parent" alongside "father and mother," which activists say would limit parental rights for LGBTQ+ couples.