Thai lawmakers have scrapped an opportunity of marriage equality for all SOGIEs (sexual orientations and gender identifications and expressions) in Thailand in the draft constitution, saying that the nation is not ready.

According to the Foundation for SOGI Rights and Justice (FOR SOGI), the Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC) reached a consensus on 26 June 2015 to remove the phrase “rights to marriage” from Article 38 in Section 2, the section on citizens’ and human rights of the draft constitution.

Article 38 deals with the protection of the rights of individuals to marry and form families.   

The CDC decided to remove the phrase in accordance with the junta cabinet’s request because it might lead to the misunderstanding that individuals of the same sex can be legally married, FOR SOGI reported.

The junta cabinet elaborated on the decision that the law to grant people of all STOGIEs the right to have their marriages legally recognised does not accord with Thailand's social and cultural context.

Last year, the Civil Partnership Bill, which would legally recognize the existence of same-sex couples, was submitted to the junta cabinet for consideration for the first time in Thai history.

The bill on the right to form civil partnerships, however, was proposed as a separate bill from the act on marriage and families, which applies to straight couples. Therefore, the bill is widely unacceptable to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists, who say that although the bill allows greater equality, it still discriminates against LGBT people.