Thursday, January 23, 2025 - Roughly 300 couples will marry in a mass ceremony in central Bangkok on Thursday, Jan. 23, as same-s£x marriage becomes legal in Thailand.
After decades of campaigning and countless setbacks,
Thailand is becoming the first country in southeast Asia to introduce full
marriage equality.
The comprehensive same-s£x marriage law received the king of
Thailand's formal endorsement and was published in the Royal Gazette on
September 24, 2024. It will become effective tomorrow, January, 23, 2025.
The marriage equality bill, which sailed through both the
House of Representatives and the Senate, amended the Civil and Commercial Code
to change the words “men and women” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and
“marriage partners.” It would open up access to full legal, financial and
medical rights for LGBTQ couples.
Last week, on Jan. 15, Government House invited dozens of
LGBTQ couples and activists for a photo op and a meeting with Prime Minister
Paetongtarn Shinawatra and several high ranking officials to celebrate the law
coming into effect, making Thailand the first in Southeast Asia and the third
in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, to legalize same-s£x marriage.
The organizers of Bangkok Pride have collaborated with
relevant government agencies to hold a grand celebration in central Bangkok and
facilitate couples who wish to register their marriage on the very first day.
They said that more than 300 couples have registered to
officially tie the knot on Thursday at the event.
“(The law) is about returning our dignity, and confirming
that we also have dignity as a human being,” said Ann “Waaddao” Chumaporn, a
gender equality activist and the lead organizer of Bangkok Pride. “That day is
going to be meaningful to all the couples that have gone through this journey
together. I’d like to thank everyone, every love, that has faithfully struggled
so that today would finally happen.”
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