by APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT

BANGKOK -- Thailand marked a historic milestone on July 8, when the cabinet approved the draft of the Civil Partnership Bill that would make same-sex marriage legal for the first time in the socially conservative country's history. That should be very good news for all Thai LGBT groups.

But what has been most surprising is that the hashtag #SayNoToPartnershipBill immediately became the hottest trending topic on Twitter on the same day, with some netizens even calling the draft bill "fake equality." The #SayNoToPartnershipBill movement has led to strong resistance in both social networks and real life, as opponents claim the proposed law does not endorse equality among "straights" and LGBT groups.

"I completely disagree with the bill," Tunyawat Kamolwongwat, a member of parliament from the social-democratic and progressive opposition Move Forward Party, told the Nikkei Asian Review. The key issue he cites is that under the bill, the same-sex partner of a public servant who died would be ineligible to receive the same government pension and financial benefits allowed to a widowed spouse in a heterosexual marriage. That would block the LGBT community's access to health care and insurance services.

The Civil Partnership Bill will next enter the parliament's scrutinizing process, likely in the third quarter of the year. If that process is straightforward and faces no strong disagreement, the bill could come to a vote by year-end. But with many members of parliament expected to disagree with many sections of the draft bill, a vote could be a long time coming.

A group of 20 Move Forward Party lawmakers led by Tunyawat proposed amending the existing Section 1448 of the Civil and Commercial Code, which bans marriage for same-sex couples.

"If we salute the equality of all genders, why do we have to issue a new specific law for the marriage of LGBT people? Why don't we amend the existing one?" Tunyawat insists.

The argument over the Civil Partnership Bill has also revealed a growing rift within the LGBT groups in Thailand. Some LGBT groups want the bill to become law, even though it does not cover all of the rights they would like, while opponents want Thailand to drop the bill, arguing that it provides "fake equality," and instead amend Section 1448. The standoff could further stall LGBT rights, as 54 legislators from the Move Forward Party are expected to vote "no" for the Civil Partnership Bill, making its passage uncertain. Read more via Nikkei Asian Review