Chiang Mai, Thailand – On July 3, hundreds of people marched through the streets of Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second largest city, for the Fourth Pride Parade before converging on the ancient Tha Phae Gate, where they danced and celebrated under the light drizzle.
“We are rallying together because we have to raise our voice for pride and make everyone equal in Thailand,” said university student Nutcha Nimasang. “I want to see something change in my generation.”
Thailand is poised to become the first Southeast Asian country to grant some form of legal recognition to same-sex partnerships, although it remains unclear whether this will be in the form of a civil union or not. complete marriage equality. Both proposals were passed by parliament in its first reading, but they would need approval from various levels of government before becoming law.
Like many others at the parade, Nutcha was a supporter of the Progressive Party (MFP) – the pro-democracy political party that had a strong track record in the 2019 election and introduced the marriage equality bill. . She said promoting same-sex marriage is “like promoting greater democracy because “it’s our human right”.
Thailand caused a stir with the Pride event. After an inaugural event in 2008, a march the following year was blocked by angry protesters, before returning in 2019. The 2021 parade was canceled because of COVID-19. .
“Marriage shouldn’t have sex, everyone can get married,” Nutcha said.
MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat said he initially expected that the civil union reform would pass parliament at the expense of the marriage equality bill.
“But we tried to fight to keep both paths open,” he told Al Jazeera in a phone interview in June.
Pita said if only the civil union bill received final approval, the MFP would continue to fight for complete marriage equality. “Our message to the public is that the two bills do not contradict each other. Both can be passed… Both can progress,” he said.
He explained that some same-sex and heterosexual couples may want a civil union, while others may want to marry, and that the two options should be available to everyone. If the civil union bill alone were to pass, he said it would be progress for those who “have been fighting for 30 or 40 years” but who “still want to see more”.
Pita said promoting gay rights was “inherently linked” with the broader pro-democracy movement and praised Thailand’s general acceptance of these issues.
“The nature of Thailand, we don’t discriminate on the basis of sex, gender or race, compared to many other parts of the world,” he said, adding that the MFP drew “inspiration” from the Taiwan’s same-sex marriage reform. The territory is the only place in Asia that has Same-sex marriage legalized.
Democratic Reform Link
Thailand has been ruled by a military-backed government since 2014 coup abolished the democratically elected government led by the Pheu Thai Party. Elections in 2019 lean heavily in favor of the military, which directly appoints all 250 members of the Senate, which chooses the prime minister along with the elected House of Commons.
The Pheu Thai Party once again won the most seats in the lower house, but the military-backed Palang Pracharat Party was able to form a government thanks to the advantage of not being elected. The MFP emerged from the progressive Future Party, surprising many by finishing third in the first election but later forced to dissolve before emerging was renamed Move Forward.
The dissolution of the MFP organization caused massive protests in 2020, with the movement expanding on demand Greater democracy and reforms to Thailand’s powerful monarchy.
The overlap between Thailand’s pro-democracy movement and the promotion of gay rights was on full display during the Chiang Mai Pride Ceremony. Many of the participants were supporters of the MFP organization, with some wearing shirts with the party’s logo in rainbow colors.
A marcher also carried signs calling for the repeal of lese majeste, a controversial law that criminalized criticism of the king. Founder of Future Forward Party and former leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is facing serious charges, as are many of the 2020-21 protest leaders.
Gay rights reforms follow in the footsteps of Thailand Cannabis deodorizer Because certain purpose, which MFP’s Pita sees as another win. He is eyeing his next cause: the expansion of Indigenous rights.
Pita says recent progress on social issues, even as fundamental political reforms have stalled, reflects tomorrow pen rai attitude – a common phrase roughly translated to mean “ignored” or “no matter what”.
This attitude, he said, means Thais are less discriminatory and tolerant of other ways of life, but are also less willing to fight “political inertia” in favor of the military, the monarchy and the elite. other political elites.
Speaking at the Pride event, Ray Laohacharoensombat, who has lived for a time in San Francisco, told Al Jazeera he has seen “really rapid progress” since returning to Thailand. Laohacharoensombat, a member of Mplus, one of the organizers of the event said: “I can see the social movement in Thailand now is really a step forward.
Mplus is an all-male LGBTQ+ organization with a focus on HIV testing. Laohacharoensombat said he was marching “for the new generation, for the youth, for empowerment and for human rights.”
Phattarapong Leelaphat, another participant and MFP supporter, insisted that only complete marriage equality be accepted. “It is not enough… The law needs to be equal for everyone,” he said.
‘Ancient Man’
According to human rights organization Manushya Foundation, the civil union bill grants some rights, such as adoption, estate management and inheritance but does not include tax benefits, government pensions and spousal health decisions. This is equivalent to “second-class citizen treatment”.
“If your partner is in a coma, you can’t sign a contract as his or her agent… You have no power even after being together for more than half of your life,” pointed out Phattarapong.
While many at Pride are in a celebratory mood, the process may still take some time.
A second reading of the bill is expected in parliament at the end of September, followed by a third reading and then three readings in the Senate.
Many fear that the senate could be the ultimate barrier to full marital equality.
“These morally old-fashioned people want the civil partnership bill, not marriage equality,” said Emilie Palamy Pradichit, a human rights lawyer and founder of the Manushya Foundation. Even so, Pradichit said the movement for total equality was “very strong, and very strong”.
A representative of the legal group Internet Dialogue on Law Reform (iLaw) said the Senate does not have the power to repeal a bill, but it can suspend the proposed law indefinitely. A majority of MPs from the ruling coalition voted to reject marriage equality outright in the first reading.
“If a majority of MPs from the ruling coalition reject the bill in its third reading, then the draft proposed amendments to Thailand’s marriage law will not see the light of day in the Senate or become law. ,” they say.
That doesn’t dampen the hopes of activists like Laohacharoensombat, who are still fighting for complete marriage equality.
“Hope has a place,” he said.
