Thailand: King signs same-sex marriage bill

The bill passed the Senate in June, but required royal assent to become law. It was published in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday and will come into effect on January 22 next year.

Campaigners hailed the move as historic – as it marks the culmination of years of campaigning for marriage equality.

Thailand has long been seen as a relative haven for the LGBTQ+ community in a region where such attitudes are rare.

The new law uses gender-neutral terms in place of “husbands”, “wives”, “men” and “women”. And it grants same-sex couples adoption and inheritance rights.

“Today we will not only write our names on marriage certificates, but we are also writing a page in history… that tells us that love never defined who we were born,” said Ann Chumaporn. The long-time LGBTQ+ activist and co-founder of the Bangkok Pride movement told the BBC.

“It is a triumph of equality and human dignity.”

He said he plans to organize a mass wedding for more than 1,000 LGBTQ+ couples on January 22.

«[Η νομική αναγνώριση] it means we are fully accepted and can live our lives without conditions or compromises,” said advertising strategist Kwankaow Koosakulnirund.

“Thailand’s LGBTQ+ community can now look to a future beyond relationships, embracing the sense of pride this law brings,” he said.

“We are all happy and excited. We’ve been fighting for our rights for over 10 years, and now it’s finally happening,” another activist, Siritata Ninlapruek, told AFP news agency.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted on X: “Congratulations on everyone’s love. #LoveWins.”

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