The Marriage Equality Act, which passed parliament last year, took effect, allowing same-sex couples to legally become couples from this day on.
According to local media such as the Bangkok Post and the Associated Press on the 22nd, the Thai government will receive LGBTQ couples marriage reports at administrative offices across the country and overseas Thai embassies and consulates from the 23rd.
The government has reorganized the system for marriage registration of LGBTQ couples, conducted training for civil servants, and plans to hold events nationwide to commemorate the law’s entry into force.
“It’s like a dream, but it’s not a dream. Congratulations to everyone. The world is paying attention to us and we should be proud,” said Prime Minister Patton Shinawatra.
The city of Bangkok and the LGBTQ organization Bangkok Pride will hold a large-scale “Marriage Equality Day” event at Siam Paragon, a large shopping mall in downtown Bangkok, on the 23rd.
Large-scale marriage registration will be made to commemorate the first day of legalization of LGBTQ marriage. Organizers said more than 300 couples applied for participation in advance.
Anne Chumafone, founder of Bangkok Pride, said, “The Marriage Equality Act confirms that LGBTQ people also have dignity as human beings and restores dignity. It will be a meaningful day for all couples who have been on this journey.”
Same-sex couples who have been waiting legally to be married also expressed their emotion.
Danaya Pomphayum, a woman who is planning to register her marriage with a same-sex lover, told the AP, “I’m really happy that something I couldn’t imagine has suddenly become a reality.”
He is not legally recognized, but he had a wedding in 2019 and lived like a couple with a lover.
Thailand is the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage. It is the third Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage after Taiwan and Nepal.
Thailand’s lower house and Senate passed the Marriage Equality Act in March and June last year with overwhelming approval, respectively, and the king approved it in September of the same year.
The new law changed the existing terms “man and woman” and “husband and wife” to gender-neutral terms such as “two individuals” and “spouse,” allowing people over the age of 18 to register their marriage regardless of gender.
Other rights, such as inheritance, tax deduction, and adoption, were granted the same as ordinary couples.
SOPHIA KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
