http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/ ... l/30359180Despite some opposition from rights groups, Kerdchoke [Kasamwongjit, deputy director-general of the Rights and Liberties Protection Department] said, the bill warranted more support as the first legislation to specifically protect the rights and liberties of the LBGT community. However, he admitted there were shortcomings in the draft legislation, since it would protect only the property and inheritance rights and some other rights of same-sex couples, but not their rights to public welfare, tax benefits or child adoption.
Vitaya Saeng-Aroon, director for foreign affairs at the Bangkok Rainbow Organisation, said the bill should be enacted despite shortcomings, which could be addressed in the future via legal amendments. If approved by the Cabinet and enacted by the National Legislative Assembly, the bill would represent a landmark in legally sanctioning same-sex partnerships for the first time in Thailand.
Meanwhile Taiwan has been voting today in a referendum on various issues relating to gay marriage. In the summer of 2017 the country's highest court proclaimed that the government had to change the civil code and permit gay marriage within two years. Although the present ruling party and the President had campaigned on the issue of gay marriage, it has dragged its feet in moving forward on the Court's ruling. The result is that Christian groups (which make up only about 8% of the population) have merged with conservative groups by first forcing a referendum and then by controlling the referendum questions. These groups have raised ten times more money for their campaign than the LGBT groups.
As in the USA 2016 election and now elsewhere, fake news about family values being destroyed and gays flooding the country with foreign partners for HIV treatment under the island's heath service, has dominated the airwaves. The LGBT community is pinning its hopes on the fact that more than 80% of the population below the age of 35 supports same-sex marriage, compared to just 30% of over 45s. They are further buoyed by the fact that the voting age has just been reduced from 20 to 18. As in the recent mid-term elections in the USA, turn out will likely dictate the referendum results.
If the opposition win the referendum vote, that does not rule out gay marriage. It will mostly affect the timing and whether the existing marriage bill is altered to include gays or a new bill specifically for gays is introduced. The LGBT community wish to see the former as they are concerned a separate bill will dilute the benefits of gay partnerships.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-deve ... referendum
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... endum-vote
