Thailand’s Senate has given final approval to a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, making it the first country in Southeast Asia to do so.
The vote was overwhelmingly in favor, with 130 senators supporting the bill, four opposing it, and 18 abstaining.
The legislation, which will now go to King Maha Vajiralongkorn for royal assent, replaces gender-specific terms in marriage laws with gender-neutral language, allowing same-sex couples to marry and enjoy the same rights and benefits as heterosexual couples.
This includes adoption and inheritance rights, which were previously only available to heterosexual couples.
