Quiet Coupling, Vocal Stalemate: Comparative-Discursive Analysis of LGBTQ+ Policy Agendas in Thailand and the Philippines

Abstract

The policy review examines why comparable LGBTQ+ rights agendas exhibit divergent trajectories despite technically robust policy proposals. Using a discursively reconfigured Multiple Streams Framework (MSF), this analysis draws insights from Thailand's Marriage Equality Law, as well as the stalled SOGIESC Equality Bill in the Philippines. Findings reveal that Thailand's agenda progressed due to a suspected permissive ideological condition that favors technocratic framing, resulting in minimal public backlash. In contrast, Philippine legislation is hindered by a religiously charged moral discourse, preventing the streams from achieving “coupling”. These distinct backdrops shape policy receptivity, underscoring the need for policy analyses to account for the ideological conditions within which agendas unfold. Thus, the review suggests recalibrating rights-based language in the Philippines to culturally resonant frames and further deepening Thailand's inclusion agenda beyond legal formalism. Most importantly, agenda success hinges on flexible, context-aware framing that resonates with domestic conditions and realities.