BANGKOK (AP) 鈥 Hundreds of LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand made Thursday a life-changing occasion, registering their marriages legally on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples.
The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the and the third place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal.
By the end of Thursday some 1,832 same-sex couples had married nationwide, according to the Department of Provincial Administration. Well over 1,000 registered at district offices, while 185 couples registered their union at a daylong gala celebration at a shopping mall in central Bangkok.
The couples included actors Apiwat 鈥淧orsch鈥 Apiwatsayree and Sappanyoo 鈥淎rm鈥欌漃anatkool, who tied the knot at the Phra Nakorn district office in Bangkok.
鈥淲e can love, we love equally, legally,鈥 said Sappanyoo.
鈥淎nd we can build our family in our own way because I believe that every kind of love, every kind of family is beautiful as it is,鈥 his partner Apiwat said.
They posed afterwards on a terrace at the office, smiling and waving while clutching a bouquet of flowers.
Similar sentiments were voiced at the mall mass event, where same-sex couple Pisit Sirihirunchai, 36, a policeman, and his partner Chanatip Sirihirunchai, 42, registered.
鈥淒on鈥檛 put a limit just because they are same sex or whatever they are. Love is a beautiful thing. We should not stop them,鈥 Pisit said.
鈥淚 want to see the same-sex marriage law available in every country where LGBTQ+ couples are,鈥 Chanatip chimed in.
Activists had said they hoped at least 1,448 same-sex marriages would take place nationwide Thursday, in a nod to Civil and Commercial Code鈥檚 Article 1448, which they had successfully lobbied to get amended.
Thailand鈥檚 marriage equality bill, which sailed through both houses of parliament, amended Article 1448 to replace the words 鈥渕an and woman鈥 and 鈥渉usband and wife鈥 with 鈥渋ndividuals鈥 and 鈥渕arriage partners.鈥 It is intended to grant full legal, financial and medical rights to LGBTQ+ couples.
Partners will have equal rights and responsibilities in dealing with joint assets, tax obligations and deductions, inheritance rights and survivor benefits.
At the Siam Paragon mall, former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin led a parade of newlyweds on a rainbow-colored carpet outside of the exhibition hall.
Current Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra addressed the crowd by video message, declaring, 鈥淔rom now on, all love will be certified by law. All couples will live with honor and dignity in Thailand."
Srettha, under whose government the ruling Pheu Thai party introduced the new law, offered a sharper and more timely comment, obviously referencing U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 inauguration speech on Monday, in which he declared it will be the official policy of his government 鈥渢hat there are , male and female.鈥
While he did not mention Trump by name, Srettha said 鈥渁 powerful country鈥檚鈥 new leader 鈥渁nnounced clearly that there are only two genders in his country.鈥
Striking a comparison between that 鈥減owerful country鈥 and Thailand鈥檚 mid-sized population and smaller economy, he said, 鈥淚 believe our heart is bigger.鈥
Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity, and thousands of attend the annual But rights advocates have struggled for decades to pass a marriage equality law in a largely conservative society where members of the LGBTQ+ community say they face discrimination in everyday life, although they note that things have improved greatly in recent years.
Bangkok鈥檚 city government has said that it organized workshops for district office staff who are in charge of handling marriage registration. They included lectures raising awareness about gender diversity and guidance on how to properly communicate with those who come for the service. The Interior Ministry has offered similar guidance.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a missing piece of the jigsaw,鈥 Bangkok Deputy Gov. Sanon Wangsrangboon said at one of the workshops earlier this month. 鈥淪ociety is ready. The law is getting ready. But the last piece of the jigsaw is the understanding from officials.鈥
About three dozen countries around the world have legalized some form of same-sex marriage, more than half in Europe. In Taiwan, which in 2019 was the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, 526 people registered on the first day, according to its government鈥檚 Department of Household Registration.
