Thailand's parliament has passed a same-sex marriage bill, paving the way for the kingdom to become the first country in Southeast Asia to recognise LGBTQ marriage equality.
The bill was passed by 399 votes to 10 in the lower house, although it still needs to be approved by the Senate before it is approved by the King and then published in the Royal Gazette.
During the news, one of the representatives brought a huge rainbow flag into the chamber.
"Today, our society proved that it cares about LGBT rights," Tunaway Kamolvongwat, a member of the progressive Move Forward party, which has been pushing for LGBT+ rights, told AFP.
"Now we will finally have the same rights as others."
Across Asia, only Taiwan and Nepal recognise same-sex marriage, and India's top court deferred to parliament's October ruling.
And while the kingdom enjoys a welcoming reputation for the international LGBTI+ community, Thai activists have been fighting against conservative attitudes and values for decades.
The proposal changes references to 'men', 'women', 'husbands' and 'wives' in the Marriage Act to gender-neutral terms.
It also means that LGBT+ couples will for the first time be able to benefit from inheritance and adoption rights in the kingdom. /BGNES
