Thai LGBT activists rang in another victory after the marriage equality bill overwhelmingly passed the upper house's first reading on Tuesday (April 2), a significant move that will bring the country closer to becoming the third territory in Asia to legalise same-sex unions. - REUTERS
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00:00 (Clapping)
00:04 Joy for Thai LGBT activists on Tuesday after a marriage equality bill overwhelmingly passed
00:10 its first reading in Thailand's upper house.
00:13 (Thai language)
00:15 It's a key step on the path to becoming the third Asian territory to legalise same-sex unions.
00:21 Waaddao Chamaporn watched the bill sail through with 147 votes to 4.
00:27 (Thai language)
00:30 It feels like we've been given the best gift of our lives as we've been fighting for this for over 12 years.
00:36 I've been imagining all along what this victory would be like, how significant would this gift be.
00:42 Obviously it's not just important to the activists sitting in this room,
00:46 but it means something to all the LGBT people in Thailand who might still be in hiding.
00:52 (Thai language)
00:56 If successful in second and third readings due in July,
00:59 the bill will be sent to the royal palace for the king's assent before becoming law within 120 days.
01:05 LGBT activist Siratata Ninlapruak says this win makes the work worth it.
01:12 (Thai language)
01:15 Everybody knows that the Senate is like a stone wall made of steel,
01:19 which holds the strongest power in our societal structure.
01:23 This is a progressive law, so we were closely rooting for it,
01:27 and once it passes, I'm very happy because all the work that we've done,
01:31 all the fight that we've put up over the past decade,
01:35 finally we see that the needle has moved closer towards our goal.
01:39 96% of the lower house passed the bill in a landmark move in March.