Celebration over implementation of marriage equality law in Thailand. LGBTQ News
Thailand has become the first country in Southeast Asia and only the third country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
Hundreds of couples are tying the knot in Thailand as the kingdom becomes the first Southeast Asian country to legalize gay marriage.
The Marriage Equality Act, which was passed by an overwhelming majority in a historic parliamentary vote last June, was approved by King Maha Vajiralongkorn in October and came into force on Thursday.
Thailand’s marriage law now uses gender-neutral terms in place of “men”, “women”, “husbands” and “wives”. It also gives same-sex couples the same adoption and inheritance rights as heterosexual couples for the first time.
Same-sex couples can now also make medical decisions for sick or disabled partners, as well as grant personal financial benefits to their spouses, including state pensions.
Campaign group Bangkok Pride and Bangkok city authorities have organized a mass LGBTQ wedding in the Thai capital, with about 180 couples gathering at the Siam Paragon shopping mall from 8am onwards to register their union.
“This day is important not only for us, but also for our children. Our family will finally be united, transgender woman Aria “Jin” Mlintanpa told AFP news agency.
Thailand, which ranks high on the LGBTQ legal and living conditions index, has now become the third country in Asia to legalize gay marriage after Taiwan and Nepal.
The passage of this law is the culmination of a nearly decade-long campaign by LGBTQ groups to pass equal marriage laws in Thailand. The Netherlands was the first country to allow same-sex unions in 2001, followed by more than 30 countries around the world in the following years.
During a celebratory photoshoot last week before the law went into effect, Thailand’s Prime Minister Patongtar Shinawatra stressed the need for gender identity recognition beyond biological sex.
“Whether male, female or non-binary, people should have the right to identify as they wish,” she said.
“No matter what your gender is or who you love, love has no limits or expectations. Everyone will be protected under the same laws.”
Despite opinion polls suggesting overwhelming public support for the move, much of Buddhist-majority Thailand remains traditional and conservative.
