The Move Forward Party (MFP) is pushing a proposal to amend the Criminal Code to legalise the adult entertainment industry and its related products -- including pornographic materials and sex toys -- in an effort to break the taboo surrounding the topic and better regulate the industry.
According to MFP MP for Bangkok Taopiphop Limjittrakorn, who submitted the proposal to the parliament last week, the bill will be discussed in the Lower House in "about a week or two".
All types of adult materials -- including pornographic images and sex toys -- are currently banned under Section 287 of the Criminal Code.
If the amendment is passed, only certain kinds of pornographic materials will be banned, for example, clips and/or images depicting sexual violence, rape and paedophilia, said Mr Taopiphop.
The amendment will also restrict individuals under the age of 20 from taking part in the production of adult content.
Mr Taopiphop said the amendment will also seek to ease the rules surrounding the sales of sex toys.
Products certified by the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) should be available for the public to purchase legally, he said.
The MFP MP for Bangkok said he is ready to face harsh criticism over the party's effort to pass the bill but insisted he was doing it with the public interest in mind.
"I want people to stop pretending [that adult content is taboo]. Let's talk [openly] through parliamentary mechanisms," he said.
"I wonder where the moral standard lies in Thai society."
Bringing to the surface
Mr Taopiphop said that he won't personally benefit from this bill, adding he brought up the issue for debate in parliament because he believed that it is one way to drive society forward.
"I brought up the matter not because I want Thai youths to have easy access to pornographic materials," he said. "The real intention here is to bring [the adult content industry] to the surface so it could be discussed openly and legally regulated."
Legalising the industry could benefit the economy through taxation and help ensure the safety of individuals working in the industry, he said. Many sex workers, for example, say they are exploited by customers who know they dare not complain to police if they are abused.
Rachada Dhnadirek, an executive of the opposition Democrat Party, had previously said the party will support MFP's proposal to legalise sex toys in Thailand. Citing research by Technavio, a leading British market research company, she said legalising sex toys can bring economic benefits for the country.
The global sex toy industry has been growing by about 7% per year since 2019, which works out as an increase of about 300 billion baht per year, she said. When sex toys are legalised, the government can impose taxes on sex toy vendors, which will lead to more revenue for the state, she said.
MFP's proposal to amend Section 287 of the Criminal Code had already undergone a public hearing, which was conducted from Aug 25 until Oct 31 last year.
While the hearing was attended by 1,072 people, only 22 expressed their opinions.
A number of consultations with state agencies have also been conducted, namely the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Ministry of Education, Royal Thai Police (RTP) and Office of National Human Rights Commission.
The RTP, for instance, was concerned by the negative impact of easy access to pornographic materials, which it believed could cause sex-related crimes to spike.
All in all, this bill could do more harm than good to society if passed into law, according to the RTP.
The MoPH said the bill must include a mechanism to prevent people aged below 20 years from getting involved in the adult industry, while the MoJ said the bill doesn't clearly differentiate between a legal and illegal production, which could make abuses by corrupt officials more likely to occur.