Nearly 2,000 LGBTQ Couples Wed As Thailand’s Equal Marriage Law Takes Effect
Thailand has long had an international reputation for tolerance of the LGBTQ community.Bangkok, Thailand:
Almost 2,000 same-sex and transgender couples married in Thailand on Thursday as the kingdom’s equal marriage law went into effect in a first for Southeast Asia.
Thailand is by far the biggest nation in Asia to recognise equal marriage. More than 30 countries have legalised marriage for all since the Netherlands became the first to allow same-sex unions in 2001.
There were hugs and tears of joy at more than 800 district offices across the country where 1,754 same-sex couples had tied the knot by 4:30 pm (0930 GMT), according to the Ministry of the Interior.
Lesbian couple Sumalee Sudsaynet, 64, and Thanaphon Chokhongsung, 59, were the first to wed at Bangkok’s Bangrak district office, 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 gown.
The couple met a decade ago through a mutual friend and bonded over their passion for Buddhism and religious 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.”
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.
At Siam Paragon mall in downtown Bangkok, dozens of couples dressed in traditional and contemporary wedding outfits trickled into a large hall for a mass wedding organised by campaign group Bangkok Pride with city authorities.