Thailand’s Marriage-Equality Law: History, Rights, and Implementation

On the subject of marriage-equality rights: in August 2012, Nathee Teerarojanapong and Attapon Chantawee traveled to the Mueang Chiang Mai District Office to register their marriage. They told the registrar that they were a gay male couple who had been living together for 19 years. The registrar, however, informed them that he could not register a marriage for the two of them.

This was because it conflicted with Section 1458 of the Civil and Commercial Code, which states that "a marriage can take place only when a man and a woman consent to be husband and wife, and this consent must be openly declared before the registrar, who shall record it." As a result, Nathee and his partner could not register their marriage, since they were not a male-female couple as specified in Section 1458.

Marriage Equality: Thailand’s Marriage-Equality Law Is Now in Force

If the two are still together and in love today, they will have shared their lives for nearly 30 years, in an era when Thai law still does not allow same-sex couples to marry, even though every one of us is equally human, living our lives and paying our taxes lawfully here in Thailand.

From that day, when a question was first raised about laws that are unjust toward gender-diverse people, eleven years have now passed. How far has marriage-equality legislation come? Let us look back at the history of the fight for equality through the lens of the law.

After that incident, which took place during the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a committee was appointed and the legal issues were studied. This gave rise to the idea of the "Civil Partnership" Act, the first version of which was completed in 2013. It drew criticism from many quarters, however. Some agreed that having at least some rights was better than receiving nothing at all, while many saw it as treating them as "second-class citizens," because it withheld rights that should not have been removed, such as the right to take a spouse's surname, the right to adopt children, the right to receive state welfare as a partner, or even a matter as significant to a couple's life as signing consent for a loved one's medical treatment.

After the Marriage-Equality Bill Fell Silent

A political storm followed, and the Civil Partnership bill disappeared for several years. The issue was pushed forward again in 2020 by Wat Kamolwongwat, a party-list MP for the Move Forward Party, who proposed to the House of Representatives a draft act amending the Civil and Commercial Code, known as the Marriage Equality Bill. The original wording, which permitted engagement and marriage only between "a man and a woman," would be changed to permit "two persons" to become engaged and to register as lawful spouses, granted the same rights, duties, and dignity as any male-female married couple; and the term "husband and wife" in the Civil and Commercial Code would be changed to "spouses."

This draft law was opened for public comment under Section 77 of the Constitution. On July 2, 2020, more than 54,447 people took part in submitting their opinions, the highest number since public consultations began.

But it was struck down once again after a petition was filed with the Constitutional Court to rule on whether Section 1448 of the Civil and Commercial Code, which allows marriage only between a man and a woman, violated the Constitution. The Constitutional Court ruled that recognizing marriage only between a man and a woman under the Civil and Commercial Code did not violate the Constitution, but it directed that laws be enacted to support the rights and duties of gender-diverse people. This sparked political mobilization by the gender-diverse community to demand equal rights, including the launch of a campaign in support of marriage equality that drew more than a hundred thousand people exercising their voice in a single night.

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Proposing the Marriage-Equality Bill

In February and March of 2022, the Marriage Equality Bill was submitted to Parliament once again, and the process continued through to November 2022, when Parliament placed the draft Civil Partnership Act and the draft act amending the Civil and Commercial Code (Marriage Equality) on the agenda for detailed consideration in the second and third readings. The House of Representatives took up the question of approval on November 23, 2022, and the bill passed its first reading.

Although the House of Representatives passed the bill in its first reading, many steps remained before the draft Civil Partnership Act and the draft Marriage Equality Act could be enacted into law. According to the Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw), beyond the consideration by the House of Representatives, there are at least five more steps in reviewing a bill before it is officially enacted.

Step 1: Consideration by Members of the House of Representatives

After the ad hoc committee has finalized its amendments or revisions to the bill, the House of Representatives must vote article by article on whether it approves the ad hoc committee's revisions, keeps the original draft, or adopts changes proposed by others. Once the article-by-article approval is complete, the House proceeds to the third reading to decide whether it approves the bill as a whole.

Step 2: Consideration by Members of the Senate

If the House of Representatives approves the bill, it is forwarded to the Senate so that the senators can consider it through a further three readings.

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Step 3: Ruling by the Constitutional Court

If the senators approve it without amendment, the Prime Minister, an MP, or a senator may submit the bill to the Constitutional Court to rule on whether it conflicts with the Constitution.

Step 4: Presenting the Bill for Royal Assent

If the Constitutional Court rules that the bill does not conflict with the Constitution, the Prime Minister presents it for the King's royal signature.

Step 5: Publication in the Royal Gazette to Enact It as Law

iLaw notes, however, that if the Senate does not approve the bill, it is put on hold to await reconsideration by the House of Representatives. If the Senate amends the bill's content, it must be sent back to the House of Representatives to consider whether it agrees. If they disagree, a joint committee must be formed to revise the law once more and submit it to both chambers for a new vote. If either chamber does not agree, the bill is put on hold, after which the House of Representatives may take it up again.

The marriage-equality law is not about superiority. We simply want to be equal in the love we share, just like all of you.

Verified references

Links and relevance to the article’s main topic were reviewed on 13 August 2026. Each source supports only the scope stated in the original document and does not replace personalised medical, legal, or service advice.

1. ราชกิจจานุเบกษา: พ.ร.บ.แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์ (สมรสเท่าเทียม) Accessed 13 August 2026
2. OHCHR: LGBT rights fact sheet Accessed 13 August 2026