Same-sex couples across Thailand registered their marriages at district offices and shopping centers, surrounded by smiles, tears, and festive moments, as the long-awaited Marriage Equality Act came into effect on Thursday.
“Today, the rainbow flag proudly flies over Thailand,” said Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in a post accompanied by a rainbow-framed video on the social media platform X.
A large LGBTQ wedding in the capital, organized by Bangkok Pride and city officials, took place at Siam Paragon, where hundreds of couples were expected to register their marriages.
Additional wedding ceremonies were organized nationwide, with organizers anticipating at least 1,000 couples would tie the knot on the first day.
Ploynaphas Jirasukhon, 33, and Khwanphorn Kongphet, 32, were the earliest to arrive at Paragon Hall, located on the fifth floor of the Siam Paragon shopping center, at 6:15 AM on Thursday. They received their marriage certificate as the event started at 8 AM.
“Today we feel secure, safe, and happy,” Ms. Ploynaphas expressed to The New York Times. “We are happy that we have played a part in the equal marriage law reaching this point.”
Transgender woman Ariya “Jin” Milintanapa, who has awaited this day for two decades, told AFP she was “thrilled.”
“This day is important not just for us but for our kids as well. Our family will finally become one,” she said.
Another couple at the Siam Paragon event, Rungtiwa Thangkanopast and Phanlavee Chongtangsattam, remembered their initial attempt to register their marriage 12 years ago at a mass wedding on Valentine’s Day, organized by Bangkok authorities.
They were initially welcomed by officials, but upon reaching the registrar’s desk and showing their identity cards, which identified them both as female, they were denied. They were informed that a marriage between two women was not recognized.
On Thursday, they finally realized their dream of being wed.
“I am delighted and excited because we have been waiting for this day for a very long time,” Rungtiwa shared. “For 20 years, we have loved each other and had to hide from society’s disapproval. But now we can stand proudly.”
Southeast Asian Pioneer
Thailand is highly regarded in surveys assessing LGBTQ legal and living conditions, as well as public attitudes. With Thursday’s milestone, it becomes the first Southeast Asian country to legalize equal marriage.
The kingdom’s same-sex marriage legislation was passed in a historic vote by parliament last June, following Taiwan and Nepal as the third location in Asia to enact such a law.
The law was sanctioned by His Majesty the King in October and officially took effect on January 23, 2025.
The revised marriage legislation now employs gender-neutral terms instead of “men”, “women”, “husbands”, and “wives”, and extends adoption and inheritance rights to same-sex couples.
Globally, over 30 countries have legalized marriage for all, beginning with the Netherlands, the first to sanction same-sex unions in 2001.