Respective bases on understanding, online information, and gay rights movements around the world are all channels for youth to know more about the LGBT community. Photos: VCG

Chinese netizens showed their support for the Thailand Cabinet's approval of a draft bill that, if ratified by parliament, will legalize same-sex unions, by posting images of their favorite same-sex couples from popular Thai TV dramas. 

Thailand's Cabinet approved the draft bill on Wednesday, bringing the nation a step closer to becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex unions, which allows same-sex unions to enjoy most of the rights of the married couples, including jointly managing assets and liabilities, the right to adopt children and inherit from their partners. 

Chinese netizens posted photos on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo of some hit Thai boys' love dramas such as 2gether: The Series and Theory of Love and expressed their hopes that their favorite onscreen couples would be able to be together.

Promotional material for Thai boys' love drama 2gether: The Series Photo: Maoyan

"My idol couple can now be together," one netizen posted along with a photo of Thai actors Jumpol Adulkittiporn and Atthaphan Phunsawat, who star in the drama Theory of Love.

Some commented that approval of the draft bill in Thailand, still a very conservative country, should be an encouragement for the LGBTQ community in China to advance a similar suggestion.

According to reports, the legislative affairs commission of China's top legislative body in 2020 acknowledged that it had been advised to include legalization of same-sex marriage in the civil code when it solicited public opinions for the draft civil code from October 31 to November 29, 2019. However, the Civil Code at the third session of the 13th National People's Congress in May, which will take effect on January 1, 2021, did not include any laws concerning same-sex marriage.

He Meili, a 51-year-old lesbian working at a nonprofit LGBTQ organization in Beijing, told the Global Times that she and her friends were very pleased to hear the news out of Thailand. She added that some of her friends said they would now consider heading to the country in search of love. 

He also mentioned that if the bill is passed, it would likely increase LGBTQ tourism to the country, especially from China, as it shows the country's acceptance of the community. 

"Thailand, especially nonprofit LGBTQ organizations in Thailand, is a very friendly environment for popularizing LGBTQ rights, which is something we should learn from," He said, adding that she hopes Chinese organizations can hold more events in cultural communication with LGBTQ organizations in Thailand.