Thailand just officially signed marriage equality into law: ‘A triumph of equality and human dignity’
"This is a joint fight for everyone," said the co-founder of Bangkok Pride
By Alim Kheraj
Same-sex couples will be able to get married in Thailand from January 2025 after the country’s king signed marriage equality in law.
While the legalisation of same-sex marriage was successfully voted through Thailand’s Senate in June this year, in order for it to be written into law, Maha Vajiralongkorn, the King of Thailand, was still required to endorse the bill in order for it to become official.
On Tuesday (24 September), the King did just that, announcing in the Royal Gazette, the official journal of Thailand, that equal marriage would come into effect on 22 January 2025.
“Congratulations on everyone’s love” – Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand
Waaddao Chumaporn, a LGBTQ+ activist in Thailand, described the news to AFP as “a monumental step towards equal rights in Thailand.”
The move makes Thailand the first Southeast Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage, and the third in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal.
As the BBC News reported, the new law replaces terms like “husbands”, “wives”, “men” and “women”, and replaces them with gender-neutral alternatives.
The Marriage Equality Bill will also provide financial, legal, and medical rights for married couples of any gender, while similarly granting LGBTQ+ couples to adopt.
Siritata Ninlapruek, another LGBTQ+ activist, told AFP: “We are all delighted and excited. We’ve been fighting for our rights for over 10 years, and now it’s finally happening.”
Speaking to the BBC, Waaddao, who is also the co-founder of Bangkok Pride, said: “Today we’re not only getting to write our names in marriage certificates, but we are also writing a page in history.”
She added: “It’s a triumph of equality and human dignity.”
Waadao said that on 22 January, she planned to organise a mass wedding of LGBTQ+ couples.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the prime minister of Thailand, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, said: “Congratulations on everyone’s love. #LoveWins.”
She added: “Thank you for the support from all sectors. This is a joint fight for everyone.”