( 아시아 최초의 동성 결혼허용 국가 ) First Asian country to allow same-sex marriage.

Predominantly Buddhist Thailand is moving to become the first Asian country to allow same-sex marriage.

태국 방콕= 조니뉘우스 )  태국 정부는 그동안 고민해오던 동성 결혼 합법화 법안을 조만간 하원 정의인권위원회와 공동으로 동성 결혼 합법화 법안을 발의하기로 했다고 합니다. 정말 대단한 소식입니다. 

 Bangkok: Predominantly Buddhist Thailand is moving to become the first Asian country to allow same-sex marriage.

The country of 65 million people has been at the forefront of the gay rights movements for decades despite the fact that sex between men remains illegal in most of its neighboring countries.

이 법안이 통과되면 아시아 최초의 동성 결혼 합법화 국가가 됩니다. 

이 법안은 동성 간의 시민적 결연에 대한 세제혜택, 연금 제도 등과 관련해 이성 간 부부와 동등한 권리를 누리도록 하는 내용이 담아 있다고 합니다.

태국내에 동성애 옹호 시민단체들은 이 법안이 국회 의회에서 통과될 수 있도록 동성 결혼 허용을 촉구하는 서명 운동을 벌일 예정이라고 합니다. 

아래 좋아요 버튼 눌러주시는거 잊지마세요!  코쿤캅 

Thailand decriminalised homosexuality in 1956 - before Britain and the United States - and has lifted bans on gays serving in the military, although homosexuality was deemed a mental illness in the country until 2002.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are widely accepted in Thai communities.

A parliamentary committee has drafted a landmark bill that will allow gay men and women who are at last 20 years old to enter into a civil partnership.

''The partnership will give [same-sex couples] rights, benefits and protection similar to most rights granted to heterosexual couples,'' said Naras Savestanan, director of the Justice Ministry's Department of Rights and Liberties Protection.

The bill will give same-sex couples benefits such as insurance, pensions, tax breaks and inheritance rights.

However, it will not automatically allow them to adopt or have custody of children as a couple.

MPs on the drafting committee have launched a petition for 10,000 signatures to support the legislation, a requirement by the Thai constitution and Parliament.

No group has yet voiced opposition to the bill although it is expected there will be some dissension from conservative MPs when debate in Parliament takes place within months.

Vietnam said in June it was considering lifting restrictions that prevent same-sex couples from marrying.

New Zealand last month allowed same-sex couples to marry while the ACT government is paving the way for same-sex couples to get married in Canberra before the end of the year after the introduction of the Marriage Equality Bill into the ACT Legislative Assembly.

Thailand, which has long been a gay-favorite destination and a safe haven for the LGBT community in Southeast Asia, may be the next country to legalize gay marriage. 

Thailand’s neighbors, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei have all banned sexual relationships between men, so Thailand’s lax laws on same-sex relations has positioned the country as a safe haven in the region.

A new civil partnership law that would give gay and lesbians the right to marry and the same rights as opposite-sex couples would not only give Thailand’s people equality, but would also help pump even more money into the country’s tourism sector. According to 

Reuters: “In 2012, a group of lawmakers and LGBT activists formed a committee to draft legislation recognizing same-sex couples. But critics of the law say it will not give a level playing field because it raises the age of consent to 20 from 17 for homosexual couples. For heterosexuals it is 17.” 

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