Activists hail ‘big step’ as Thailand’s king signs country’s marriage equality bill.
Thailand’s king has signed a landmark marriage equality bill, making the kingdom the first country in Southeast Asia to recognize same-sex marriage.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn approved the new law on Tuesday, according to the Royal Gazette. The law is expected to come into force in 120 days, which means that LGBTQ+ couples will be able to register their marriage in January next year.
Activists hailed the move as a “historic step”, with Thailand only the third place in Asia where same-sex couples can legally marry, after Taiwan and Nepal.
The law, which passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate in April and June respectively, gives full legal, financial and medical rights to spouses of either sex. It uses gender-neutral terms instead of “men”, “women”, “husbands” and “wives”, and provides adoption and inheritance rights for same-sex couples.
The royal assent marks the end of years of campaigning and thwarting efforts to pass marriage equality laws.
“The law is a big step towards equal rights in Thailand,” Waaddao Chumaporn, an LGBTQ rights lawyer, told AFP news agency.
He plans to organize a large wedding of over 1,000 LGBTQ+ couples in Bangkok on January 22, the day the law comes into force.
“We are all happy and excited. We have been fighting for our rights for more than 10 years, and now it has finally happened,” Siritata Ninlapruek, an LGBTQ activist, told AFP, her voice shaking.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra sent congratulations for “everyone’s love” on social media platform X.
“We appreciate the support from all agencies. It’s everyone’s fight together,” he wrote with the hashtag #LoveWins.
Thailand has long had an international reputation for tolerance of the LGBTQ community, and opinion polls reported in local media have shown overwhelming public support for equal marriage.
However, many Buddhist kingdoms maintain traditional values and laws and LGBTQ people say they still face obstacles and discrimination in everyday life.
More than 30 countries around the world have legalized marriage for everyone since the Netherlands became the first to celebrate same-sex unions in 2001.
India’s high court overruled the issue in parliament last year and Hong Kong’s high court stopped short of granting full marriage rights.
Activists in Thailand have been fighting for gay rights for more than a decade, as their advocacy has been stifled by political turmoil in a country often fueled by coups and mass street protests.
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