But campaigners say it fails to address major concerns of LGBT+ people. Public consultations on the bill were held this week and a revised version will go to the cabinet for approval by the end of the year, said Nareeluc Pairchaiyapoom, a senior official at the government department handling the bill. It gives same-sex couples the right to register unions, as well as to property and inheritance, but does not recognize marriage between same-sex partners. “The civil partnership bill is the first step to giving equal rights to everyone,” said Nareeluc at the last of the public hearings on Friday. “The final goal is same-sex marriage, but that requires more time and several actions to amend the civil code and get everyone on board. We will proceed step by step,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. A largely conservative Buddhist society, Thailand has nonetheless built a reputation as a place with a relaxed attitude toward gender and sexual diversity. Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1956, and authorities actively promote the country as an LGBT+-friendly destination. A survey of social attitudes toward sexual orientation and gender identity found two-thirds of respondents had no objection to same-sex unions, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Yet LGBT+ people face considerable discrimination and stigma, and the civil partnership bill stops short of granting key rights, said Wannapong Yodmuang, an activist with the Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand, an advocacy group. “We are not happy. The bill does not give us the right to… [Read full story]
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