Thai Senate clears Southeast Asia’s first same-sex marriage bill

BANGKOK — A landmark bill extending marriage rights to same-sex couples was approved by Thailand’s Senate on Tuesday and will now go to the Constitutional Court for review before becoming law through royal approval.

The Senate voted 130-4, with 18 abstentions, on the bill passed by the House of Representatives in March, paving the way for Thailand to become the first Southeast Asian nation to legalize same-sex marriage.