Depending on which appendage you use to count once you get past ten, over 60% of American citizens now live in a state where same-sex marriage is legal. Earlier this week the Supreme Court decided to not make a decision on a handful of marriage equality cases presented to it, thereby allowing several circuit court rulings against states’ bans to be lifted. Their lack of action also gave rise to the ire of those wacky right-wing conservative nut cases including Grandpa Duck of the Duck Dynasty who reminded his fan that you can’t get STDs from ‘biblically correct’ sex, which I have to assume means I’m safe if I’m using the missionary position.

Meanwhile, Defense of Marriage Act fans’ rhetoric has become so laughable that federal judges are actually laughing at them in open court. Some, including Justice Scalia, assume the Supremes will take up the issue at a later date; others that by failing to do so again in the future marriage equality will become the law of the land based on state’s rights, with no intervention by the federal government. The only issue everyone seems to agree on is that same-sex marriage will be legal throughout the country one day and that day will be coming sooner than most thought. Well, that and that Hillary Clinton will be the next president.

While some nations that barely qualify to be one, and several Islamic countries flying under the banner of Allah’s love, are busy trying to decide whether caning, stoning, or execution is the best way to deal with their gay citizens, those countries that someone might actually give a damn if they were wiped off the map are slowly coming around to realize that gay people should have the same basic rights as all citizens. And that includes the right to be stuck in an unhappy marriage. There are 19 countries today where same-sex marriages are legal, or are legal at least in part of the country. And the word is that Thailand may soon become the next. Kinda, sorta.

According to some news agencies, we’ll soon get to see if PM Prayuth and his appointed parliament are serious about making Thailand a happy place, or if that’s just an excuse for a moral crusade. Thailand’s Civil Partnership Act may soon be taken up by that august body. Civil partnerships are the same-same but different version of marriage equality, the you can have your cake but not eat it to stop gap measure other countries have taken in the past on their path to full marriage equality enlightenment. Also known as registered partnerships, there are 24 countries in the world today in which same sex couples may legally be united, but not in wedded bliss. Thailand’s Civil Partnership Act was coming up for debate just before then General Prayuth decided to shuffle the Thai leadership deck and while it does not provide equal treatment under the law, it does make some headway in bringing marriage equality to the kingdom.

Under the bill, the rights of a person in a civil partnership will include the right to use one’s surname, property rights between the partners and rights on how the partnership is ended. However, the bill does not entitle homosexual partners to raise children, and the minimum age of those allowed to register civil partnerships is 20, while for the heterosexual marriage it is 17. So at least Sunee Plaza sexpats are safe from being forced to marry their boy du jour.

A year ago, when the country’s leaders didn’t wear olive green, a parliamentary committee drafted the bill, claiming it would guarantee to registered same-sex couples the same safeguards over inheritance, medical decision-making, insurance benefits, pensions, tax status, and other rights as married couples enjoy. But flaws in the draft were widely noted by lawyers and gay rights activists. Chanon Amornthatri, a Thai lawyer from the University of Cambridge said, ” The draft is very concise yet not concrete. Any marriage rights that are not specified in the draft might not be recognized for same-sex couples.” His concern was that even had the bill passed, it would not guarantee identical rights for same-sex couples as for legally married couples. But then civil partnership status seldom does. That’s why in Utah, where the Supreme Court’s recent lack of a decision is forcing gay couplings down the state’s throat, a local politician has sponsored a bill to call same-sex unions pairages, instead of marriages. Ya gotta love those Mormons.

There are pros and cons to civil partnerships instead of marriage equality becoming the law of the land. But sometimes baby steps are the way to go. For Thailand, the first hurdle is actually getting the bill in front of the parliament. Before the government changes again.

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