Thailand's same-sex marriage bill comes into force, hundreds expected to get married

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A high-profile gay couple married in Thailand on Thursday as the kingdom's same-sex marriage law went into effect, an AFP journalist saw, among the first of hundreds expected to do so.


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," said Arm.


The milestone sees Thailand become by far the biggest place in Asia to recognise equal marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal.


The law on marriage now uses gender-neutral terms in place of "men", "women", "husbands" and "wives", also clearing the way for transgender people to marry, and grants adoption and inheritance rights to all married couples.


Lesbian couple Sumalee Sudsaynet, 64, and Thanaphon Chokhongsung, 59, were the first to wed at Bangrak District and the couple showed the media their engagement rings.


"We are so happy. We've been waiting for this day for 10 years," said Thanaphon, wearing a white bridal gown.


The couple met 10 years ago through a mutual friend and bonded over their passion for Buddhism and merit-making.


"The legalisation of same-sex marriage uplifts our dignity," Sumalee told AFP.


"It allows us to enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples. My emotions today are so overwhelming, I can't even put them into words."


Dozens of couples dressed in traditional and contemporary wedding outfits trickled into a large hall in a shopping centre for a mass LGBTQ wedding organised by campaign group Bangkok Pride with city authorities.


Rows of officials were at tables helping the couples fill out marriage forms, an administrative step before they could collect their certificates, with hundreds expected to do so over the course of the day.

Reputation for tolerance

Thailand ranks highly on indexes of LGBTQ legal and living conditions, and Thursday's milestone makes it the first Southeast Asian country to allow equal marriage.


The kingdom's same-sex marriage bill was passed in a historic parliamentary vote last June, the third place in Asia to do so after Taiwan and Nepal.


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.


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, much of the Buddhist-majority kingdom retains traditional and conservative values and LGBTQ people say they still face barriers and discrimination in everyday life.


Former Thai prime minister Srettha Thavisin, who was in office when the law was passed, tweeted his congratulations.


"Equal marriage has truly become possible with the power of all," he wrote.


"From now on, there will no longer be a 'man' and a 'woman', but 'individual' and 'individual' who are equal 'spouses'. I congratulate you wholeheartedly on your love."


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.


Kevin Pehthai Thanomkhet, a 31-year-old trans man, married his wife, Maple Nathnicha Klintgaworn, 39. His 65-year-old father Phornchai was with them.


"So happy, like, oh my god... my heart is beating," Kevin said.


"He is happy for this... I have always accepted (him)," Phornchai says. "Whatsoever, it is OK with me."


Ploynaplus Chirasukorn said she had been with her partner Kwanporn Kongpetch for 17 years.


"In the past, LGBTQ was seen as a monster," she says.


She supports the push for gender identity recognition beyond biological sex.


"A person who was born different sex from what they want to be feels like a person who has no home," she says. "If we can push for it, we will feel like it is really equal."


"If you are not ready (to marry), then you have your whole life as Thailand is now OK for your love," said Arm.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News Agency staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)