Same-Sex Marriage Law Comes Into Effect In Thailand, Hundreds Take Wedding Vows

Last Updated:January 23, 2025, 09:16 IST

Thailand has become the first Southeast Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage, granting LGBTQ+ couples full legal rights under the Marriage Equality Act.

A same-sex couple poses after registering their marriage in Bangkok (Photo: AFP)

Hundreds of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ+) couples in Thailand made their wedding status legal on Thursday as the country’s same-sex marriage law comes into effect. The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the third place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal.

Marking the beginning of the revolutionary law, a high-profile gay couple married in Thailand on Thursday.

According to news agency AFP, Thai actors Apiwat “Porsch" Apiwatsayree, 49 — who was in tears — and Sappanyoo “Arm" Panatkool, 38, in matching beige suits, were handed their pink-bordered marriage certificates at a registry office in Bangkok.

“We fought for it for decades and today is a remarkable day that love is love," Arm was quoted as saying.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LAW IN THAILAND

The law was ratified by King Maha Vajiralongkorn in September and came into effect after 120 days. It marks the culmination of years of campaigning and thwarted attempts to pass equal marriage laws.

According to The Associated Press, marriage registration is customarily done at district offices, but on Thursday, around 300 couples are expected to complete the formalities at a daylong gala celebration in an exhibition hall at a shopping mall in central Bangkok.

Hundreds more are predicted to register in less fancy circumstances around the country.

The marriage equality bill, which sailed through both houses of the Parliament, amended the Civil and Commercial Code to change the words “men and women" and “husband and wife" to “individuals" and “marriage partners".

It is supposed to open up access to full legal, financial and medical rights for LGBTQ+ couples.

Partners will have equal rights and responsibilities in dealing with joint assets, tax obligations and deductions, inheritance rights and survivor benefits.

THAILAND’s REPUTATION FOR TOLERANCE

Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity, and thousands of people from around the world attend the annual Bangkok Pride parade. However, rights advocates have struggled for decades to pass a marriage equality law in a largely conservative society where members of the LGBTQ+ community say they face discrimination in everyday life, although they note that things have improved greatly in recent years, the AP reported.

According to the report, Bangkok’s city government has said that it organised workshops for staff of all its district offices who are in charge of handling marriage registration. They included lectures raising awareness about gender diversity and guidance on how to properly communicate with those who come for the service.

More than 30 countries have legalised marriage for all since the Netherlands became the first to allow same-sex unions in 2001.

Thai activists have been pushing for same-sex marriage rights for more than a decade, with their advocacy stalled by political turbulence in a country regularly upended by coups and mass street protests.

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