#equal marriages

[politijohn]

Source

Happy Pride Month!

[g12xxx]

Wooooo congratulations Thailand 🎉🎉🥳🥳

🏳️‍🌈

[pharawee]

Celebrations marking the beginning of marriage equality in Thailand are underway at the Government House.

Source: Thai Enquirer

[Image descriptions: 1. A pride march. The people marching wear rainbow sashes and carry rainbow flags, some with Thai writing on them. The onlookers hold mini rainbow flags and other signs as they watch.

2. A person in a rainbow coat holds up a sign that says, ‘สมรส เท่าเทียม ผ่าน แล้ว’ [marriage equality passed]

3. A float showing people in rainbow clothing and sashes waving rainbow flags.

4. A sapphic couple rides an open wagon in a parade.

5. A man holds up a certificate in front of a progress pride flag with a Thai queer organisation’s logo on it.

6. A gay couple pose next to each other while waving progress pride flags. A large flag held by someone else frames the two from the left.

7. A group of marchers with rainbow flags and sashes.

8. A gay couple in white suits pose in front of a rainbow flag and their marriage certificates. The Government House is visible in the background. \End descriptions]

(a big thank you to @a-captions-blog for the image descriptions)

[neuroticboyfriend]

IM GOING TO CRY THEY MIGHT INCREASE THE SSI ASSETS LIMIT TO $10,000.

it's a bipartisan bill too! and for anyone unaware, people on SSI (which is different from SSDI), can only have $2,000 in assets (unless they have an ABLE account, which comes with its own rules). this assets limit has been in place for FORTY YEARS and is a giant part of why being on SSI keeps people incredibly impoverished.

i've also heard they might remove the marriage penalty but i don't have the spoons to read or explain it so someone else please add on!

this is huge! please spread the word and do what you can to help ensure this happens!

[waitmyturtles]

(Source)

THE MARRIAGE EQUALITY BILL HAS PASSED IN THAILAND.

It will be published in Thailand’s Royal Gazette for 120 days and become law.

HAPPY PRIDE TO THAILAND!!!!!!! 🏳️‍🌈

[whatareyoureallyafraidof]

[plague-parade]

reminder this pride month that disabled people in the US on SSI and some forms of SSDI* do not have the same marriage equality as people not on SSI and SSDI. its called the marriage penalty.

by getting married, a disabled person can lose their income, benefits, and health insurance.

if a disabled person marries an able bodied person, and combined their assets are $3000 or over they will lose all benefits, including medicaid (health insurance).

if a disabled person marries a disabled person, their assistance is lowered 25%.

we don’t have marriage equality until all disabled marriages are equal.

*SSDI title II (disabled adult child) does fall under the marriage penalty, regular SSDI does not.

sources x x x x

[crazycatsiren]

Disabled people deserve to fall in love. Disabled people should be able to marry without repercussions, without losing anything. It's almost 2023 and why is this still a hot take.

[bidotorg]

Today, we take a moment to celebrate a historic milestone - the anniversary of South Africa legalizing same-sex marriage. 🇿🇦🏳️‍🌈 On this remarkable day, South Africa not only became the first country in Africa to recognize love in all its forms, but also set a precedent for human rights and equality across the globe. This day serves as a reminder of the progress we've made, and the work that still needs to be done. Let's continue to fight for love, acceptance, and equality for all. Today we celebrate love, human rights, and the beautiful rainbow nation of South Africa. 🌈❤️

[discluded]

Full article here. Please give it a click to support this kind of journalism! (I snipped out the highlights for a shorter read)

The state of Utah in the United States has no citizenship requirements for marriage licenses, and Utah County is the only place there that allows international couples to register their marriages online. Since the county rolled out virtual weddings during the Covid-19 pandemic, it became a wedding haven for same-sex couples who are not able to officially marry in their own countries.

As sexual minorities in China face suppression at home, Utah County is allowing them to officially marry and celebrate their love — all for around $100. Although the marriages aren’t recognized in China, some 200 same-sex couples from mainland China and Hong Kong have gotten married via the county’s digital marriage license system since 2021.

For authorities in Utah County, the influx of international couples came as a surprise. The Utah County and Auditor’s Office moved its marriage licensing service online, as part of a digitization initiative in 2019. At the start of the pandemic, a number of couples requested Zoom ceremonies, and the county made those available as well.

The service first attracted couples in Utah, followed by people from across the U.S., and later, from all over the world. From May 1 to September 20 this year, at least 77 same-sex couples with mainland Chinese addresses have been married there, said county deputy clerk Russ Rampton, who oversees marriage licensing, to Rest of World.

Although same-sex marriage remains illegal in Hong Kong, under a different set of laws to mainland China, residents who get married in other places are able to apply for dependent visas in the city for their partners. Married gay people are also able to mark themselves as married in tax filings.

In his vow, however, [one marriage certificate applicant] Zhu said he was looking forward to getting married a second time — in China. “If one day our country allows this, I hope we could get married again in this country,” Zhu said to his husband before they kissed.

**

Marriage equality does not stop in the West.

[pigglepiephi]

What it means 😭🏳️‍🌈

Congratulations Thailand!!

[politijohn]

Source

Some good news!

[reasonsforhope]

"In short: Thailand's Senate has approved a bill legalising same sex marriage in the South-East Asian country.

It will afford same-sex couples practical benefits such as being able to have children through IVF and make emergency medical decisions for their spouse.

What's next? The first weddings may take place later this year, 120 days after the law is announced in the Royal Gazette.

Thailand has become the first nation in South-East Asia to legalise same sex marriage, with the country's Senate approving the landmark bill this afternoon.

The legislation was expected to pass after it cleared the country's House of Representatives in a near-unanimous vote in March.

Despite Thailand's bustling gay bars and prominent transgender community making it a mecca for LGBTQ+ tourists, until now local same-sex couples there have been unable to marry.

The law will take effect 120 days after its announcement in the Royal Gazette, so the first same sex weddings may take place later this year.

Couples who have been waiting years have hailed the move as a historic moment that will afford them rights only reserved for spouses.

A Lifechanging Law

Photos of Anticha and Worawan [including the article picture], dressed in floor-length white gowns and trailed by rainbow flags, getting married at Bangkok's first Pride Festival two years ago went viral, but they are still not legally married.

Now they will be able to change that, and Anticha Sangchai is elated.

"This will change my life and change many Thai people's lives, especially in the LGBT community," she said.

"It is a historical moment and I really want to join with my community to celebrate this moment.

"I want to send a message to the world that Thailand has changed. Even though there are still many issues, this is a big step for us." ...

There were an estimated 3.7 million LGBT people in Thailand in 2022, according to LGBT Capital, a private company which models economic data pertaining to the community around the world.

For the young couple from Bangkok, being able to marry also has very real practical implications.

If they want to have children through IVF, Ms Sangchai says they will need a marriage certificate first.

"I am quite concerned about the time because we are getting older every day, and the older you get the more difficult it is to have a healthy pregnancy," she said.

"So we've been really wanting this law to pass as soon as possible."

Cabaret performer Jena is excited Thailand's laws are finally catching up with the nation's image...

She too had worried about the practical implications of being unable to marry.

"For example, if myself or my partner had to go to hospital or there was an accident that needs consent for an emergency operation, without a marriage certificate we couldn't sign it," she said.

She now wants the government to move forward with a law to allow transgender people to amend their gender on official documents." ...

An Economic Boost?

Thailand has long been famous for LGBTQ tourism and there are now hopes this new law could allow the country to cash in on the aging members of the community.

Chaiwat Songsiriphan, who runs a health clinic for people in the LGBTQ community, said laws preventing same sex marriage were the last barrier holding the country back from becoming a gay retirement hub.

[Note: They do not just mean for rich westerners; Thailand as a gay retirement hub would probably appeal most to and definitely benefit LGBTQ people from throughout Asia.]

"Thailand has an LGBTQ-friendly environment since Thai culture is quite flexible," he said.

"One of my foreigner friends, a gay friend, told me that when he's in his country he has to pretend to be straight … but when he comes to Bangkok he said you can be as gay as you want.

"When we talk about retirement or a long-term stay for the rest of their lives, what people need is … food, good healthcare services, transportation, homes.

"I think Thailand has it all at a very affordable price."

He said it could help give the country a desperately needed economic boost.

"This will have a lot of benefits for Thailand's economy because when we talk about retirement it's people literally bringing all the money they have earned for the rest of their working lives to spend and invest here," he said.

He said he, like the rest of the community, was thrilled by the news.

"It's not about a privilege, it's just equality," he said.

"We are we also humans, so we should be able to marry the one we love.""

-via ABC Australia, June 18, 2024

[thatjayjustice]

Update: The marriage equality bill is expected to pass through its final reading in Thailand's upper house of parliament on Tuesday, June 18th. It will then be sent to the king for approval & come into force 120 days after being published in the Royal Gazette. source:

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thailand-moves-pass-same-sex-marriage-law-couple-wait-tie-knot-2024-06-17/

I am so excited for all the Thai people who have been waiting for years to marry their partners. My wife is Thai and dreamed of being able to have our wedding here in Bangkok one day. We're so close to equal marriage in Thailand! 🥹🙏🏿❤️🏳️‍🌈🇹🇭

[todayontumblr]

Friday, February 16.

Some good news.

News of a good disposition seems more than a little sparse right now, so you really have to make the most of it, as and when.

There is some news, however, from Greece. And this news is pretty, pretty good. So we are going to break this particularly good news to you the only way we know how. Enjoy it y'all.