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.
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.
Siritata Ninlapruek, an LGBTQ activist, described the journey as a challenging, bittersweet battle.
“I am extremely happy, but my fight for the community continues,” she said.
She emphasised the need for gender identity recognition beyond biological sex.
“Whether male, female or non-binary, people should have the right to identify as they wish.”
© 2025 AFP
