Thailand’s Constitutional Court upholds law which bans same-sex marriage

Thailand says no to gay marriage. 

On Wednesday (November 17) the Constitutional Court rejected a plea for marriage equality, ruling that the current Section 1448 of the nation’s Civil and Commercial Code, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, is constitutional, reports Washington Blade. 

Thai advocacy group The Foundation for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Rights and Justice had previously filed a lawsuit challenging the current legislation, stating that the lack of legal recognition within it is proof that members of the LGBT community in Thailand are not treated equally.

The eventual ruling by the court, which had been postponed several times, wrote that Thai legislators “should draft laws that guarantee the rights for gender diverse people.”

The controversial decision comes as crushing blow for equality in the country, where campaigners say the ruling renders the “government’s pledges to promote gender equality meaningless”.

Same-sex marriage ceremonies are often performed in Thailand, however the act does not hold any legal weight. 

 Coconuts Bangkok reports that the hashtag #EqualityMarriage was trending on Twitter in Thailand and that LGBTQ+ advocacy group Free Gender Thailand plan to protest the decision on 28 November.