Thailand’s Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would legalise gay marriage, clearing the final legislative hurdle for Thailand to become the first country in Southeast Asia to enact such a law.

Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusiveness, but it has struggled for decades to pass a marriage equality law. Thai society largely has conservative values, and members of the LGBTQ+ community say they face discrimination in everyday life.

The government and state agencies are also historically conservative, and gender equality advocates have had difficulty pressuring lawmakers and civil servants to accept change.

Thailand would become the third country in Asia to allow gay marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal. The marriage equality bill, which grants full legal, financial and medical rights to married partners of either sex, passed the House of Representatives just before the end of the last parliamentary session in April, with 400 of the 415 members present approving it.

It received its final reading in the Senate on Tuesday, where out of the 152 members present, 130 approved it, 4 voted against it and 18 abstained.

The bill now needs formal approval from King Maha Vajiralongkorn, after which it will be published in the Government Gazette, setting a date for it to come into effect within 120 days.

The timing of the vote in the Senate on Tuesday, the first day of the current parliamentary session, reflects the urgency of passing the bill. The bill would amend the country’s civil and commercial codes to replace gender-specific terms such as “male and female” with gender-neutral terms such as “person.”

But it was not approved without a hitch. One member of the Senate, retired army general Vorapong Sa-nganet, argued that gender-specific terms should be included in the law alongside gender-neutral terms. He said excluding them would be a “serious violation of the institution of the family” in Thailand.

After the vote, 18-year-old Plypha Kyokka Shodlad, who identifies as non-binary, took the stage and thanked everyone who supported the bill, calling it a “power of hope” that would help Thailand become more accepting of diversity.

“Today, love trumps prejudice,” Plypha said.

The government is confident of passing the bill and announced several days ago that it would celebrate the occasion at Government House on Tuesday. The building was decorated with rainbow carpets, flags and a giant balloon in the shape of two hands forming a heart.

Supporters had planned to march from Parliament to Government House to celebrate.

Mukdapha Yanguenpradern of human rights organization Fortify Rights said passage of the law was “a victory for justice and human rights.”

“The Thai government should now focus on ensuring the prompt and effective implementation of this law to protect LGBTI+ rights,” he said. “Marriage equality is fundamental to human dignity, and it is essential that Thailand protects these rights without delay or discrimination.”

The Pheu Thai Party-led government that came to power last year has made marriage equality one of its main goals. It made a major effort to make its mark earlier this month with the annual Bangkok Pride parade, which saw thousands of people celebrate in one of Bangkok’s busiest commercial districts.