Signs Of Life On The Thailand Same Sex Civil Unions Issue

[Jingthing]

...

Hopefully this thread won't become one more suited to the Visas, Residency and Work Permits Forum, but in general you are clearly quite correct - even if it equaled marriage (to a Thai) in ALL respects it wouldn't make much difference to most people apart from the reduced pension/income requirement for Retirement extensions.

...

Being married does NOT reduce the financial requirements for retirement extensions. Marriage extensions, yes, require less.

BTW, I do not share your OPINION that formal marriage is not important to Thai people. Gay Thai people are a different thing and certainly their political priorities are not going be the same right now as in western countries.

In any case, the legal discussion now is only about gay civil unions. Thailand is very far from considering gay marriage.

Edited February 14, 2013 by Jingthing

[isanbirder]

"As I've said before, formal marriage really isn't that significant to most Thais which is probably why gay marriage isn't such a big deal to gay Thais."

(quote from Le Charivari)

I have to post this, though I know it's not relevant: I went to a Thai marriage celebration yesterday, the third time in a year for the same girl! I wonder what she does with all the men!

[LeCharivari]

...Hopefully this thread won't become one more suited to the Visas, Residency and Work Permits Forum, but in general you are clearly quite correct - even if it equaled marriage (to a Thai) in ALL respects it wouldn't make much difference to most people apart from the reduced pension/income requirement for Retirement extensions....

Being married does NOT reduce the financial requirements for retirement extensions. Marriage extensions, yes, require less. .....

In hindsight and to be technically correct I should probably have said "..... in ALL respects it wouldn't make much difference to most people apart from the reduced pension/income requirement for those otherwise needing Retirement extensions...."

To clarify any who are still confused:

Marriage to a Thai is NOT a requirement for a Work Permit, regardless of age, nor does it make the process any easier.

Marriage to a Thai is NOT a requirement for Permanent Residence ... etc, etc

Married or single, you can NOT work on a Retirement extension.

If you are under 50 you gain NO advantage in immigration terms by being married to a Thai as you STILL need to have a Work Permit and to be employed to qualify for a Marriage extension (JT, above: "For marriage extensions immigration wants to see WORK income of 40K baht.").

If you are over 50 and marry a Thai you can remain on the same Visa and change from a Retirement extension to a Marriage extension, halving the amount required either in a Thai bank or in pension - the ONLY advantage to marriage in immigration terms (as IB said originally).

[LeCharivari]

.....To me, being rather a lot over 50, the most significant impact would be in access and arrangements surrounding illness and death.

Although it requires extra work, you can already ensure the same access, etc, with living and regular wills, although few people carry their living will (or their marriage certificate!) around with them. My Partner and I are both officially registered as "next-of-kin" at our local hospital and we both carry a small (credit card size) laminated copy of our Civil Partnership certificate "just in case".

At the Toyota concerts (those put on by the car dealers with some Thai superstar) the same orange-clad compere/joker always calls people up to the stage to compete for a prize, have their photo taken with the superstar, etc by asking them to hold up a 20 baht note, 50 baht note, driving licence, marriage licence, etc and the first to do so gets called up. Nobody else ever has a marriage certificate!

[Goldieinkathu]

"As I've said before, formal marriage really isn't that significant to most Thais which is probably why gay marriage isn't such a big deal to gay Thais."

(quote from Le Charivari)

Front page of the Bangkok Post today and front page of the Phuket Gazette seems to say that gay marriage is a big deal to gay Thais.

I"ve always thought it was important to them, they just know how things work here and probably thought nothing would ever change.

[Goldieinkathu]

Pink News in the UK are reporting that public hearings in Thailand on Civil Unions have begun.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/02/13/thailand-public-hearings-on-civil-unions-begin/

[isanbirder]

The thread "Gay network....." opened today says that the civil partnership bill is expected to be presented to Parliament in March.

[Goldieinkathu]

The thread "Gay network....." opened today says that the civil partnership bill is expected to be presented to Parliament in March.

At last! Go Thailand!!!!

[LeCharivari]

"As I've said before, formal marriage really isn't that significant to most Thais which is probably why gay marriage isn't such a big deal to gay Thais."

(quote from Le Charivari)

I have to post this, though I know it's not relevant: I went to a Thai marriage celebration yesterday, the third time in a year for the same girl! I wonder what she does with all the men!

Its not actually my "OPINION", IB, as its an easily verifiable fact since the percentage of those registering a marriage in Thailand is considerably less than in either Western or other Asian countries - I'm not saying its irrelevant, just less important.

..... as for its significance to the gay population, a turnout of only 200 in Bangkok is disappointing.

[LeCharivari]

Reading the various reprots its still anything but clear exactly what the proposed Bill being discussed by the House Committee and the alternative Bill proposed by the SDN actually say, and where they differ.

According to some reports its major progress:

Wirat Kalayasiri, deputy chairman of the committee and Democrat MP for Songkhla, said gay couples would be eligible for all the same benefits as heterosexual couples if the bill becomes law.

The most recent version of the bill refers to "civil partners" as two persons of the same sex who register their relationship under the civil partnership law. The pair must each be at least 20 years old and at least one of them must hold Thai nationality, Mr Wirat said.

..... while according to others it looks its back to the stone ages:

The House of Representatives is considering a draft bill to recognize legal rights for same-sex couples, but Chumaporn said there were details that the network disagreed with, such as the need to have a psychological examination before a couple is allowed to marry. (Chumaporn Tangkliang is a member of the Sexual Diversity Network)

[isanbirder]

This is a quotation from the Special Report which was posted under "Gay Rights Network...." on much the same date as this.

" The Rights and Liberties Protection Department and the Parliament's committee on Legal Affairs, Justice and Human Rights this month held the first public hearing of the civil partnership bill, which is expected to be presented to Parliament in March."

It is now March. Has anybody heard any more?