Postponed time and again, a ruling on the legality of same-sex civil unions was again punted today by the court.
The Constitutional Court this morning postponed its ruling on a challenge that the legal definition of marriage – man and woman – violates the constitution’s equal protection clause. It now plans to render judgment on Dec. 14.
The case was brought by Permsub Sae-ung and Puangphet Hengkham – who were together over 12 years when their marriage registration was rejected at Bangkok’s Phasi Charoen District Office on the basis that they were “a woman and a woman.”
The couple filed a complaint at the Central Juvenile and Family Court to Section 1448 of the Civil and Commercial Code – which specifies that marriage is between heterosexuals – because it contravenes the constitutional guarantee that every Thai is entitled to equal rights.
The court’s ruling has been delayed many times since it was first on the docket, from December 2020 to April, June and then today.
#EqualMarriage is trending atop Thai Twitter today.
A bill to legalize same-sex unions has languished for years in parliament.
The Civil Partnership Bill, which was endorsed by the cabinet in July 2020, would for the first time allow same-sex couples to register their marriages, but only as “partners” rather than spouses. However, the bill remains in limbo as some lawmakers question its necessity.
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