Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has signed a law legalizing same-sex marriage. Its text was published in the royal gazette on Tuesday. The regulations will come into force in 120 days. The first weddings will be possible in January next year.
“Congratulations to everyone. Love wins” – the Prime Minister wrote on X (formerly Twitter – ed.) Thailand Paetongtarn Shinawatra, referring to the legalization of same-sex marriage in the country. The law signed by King Maha Vajiralongkorn was published in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday. It will come into force after 120 days, or exactly on January 22, 2025. The regulations were passed by the lower and upper houses of the Thai parliament in April and June this year.
Under the new regulations, non-heteronormative residents of the country gained not only the possibility of entering into marriage, but also equal rights in the area of adoption of children, inheritance and deciding about the health care of a spouse. Approval of the content of the act also contributed to changes in the provisions of the civil and commercial code. The previously existing terms for spouses referring to gender – such as “man”, “woman”, “husband” or “wife” – were replaced with neutral terms “person” or “marital partner”.
Thailand is the first country in the region and the third in Asia
As Plaifah Kyoka Shodladd, an 18-year-old human rights activist, told The Guardian, LGBT+, although Thailand already had a reputation as a “paradise for queer people”, “it never really was”. Once the regulations come into effect, Thailand will become the first country in the region and the third in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. It will join the group of more than 30 countries in the world that have similar laws. It was the first to introduce them in 2001 Netherlands.
Thais celebrate same-sex marriage billRUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA/PAP
“We are gaining not only the right to have our names on marriage certificates, but also to write a new page in history. A page that tells us that love is not determined by who we are born to,” Ann Chumaporn, an LGBT+ activist and founder of the Bangkok Pride movement, told the BBC. “It is a triumph of equality and dignity,” she added, referring to the approval of the bill. The activist also announced that she would organize a mass wedding for more than 1,000 same-sex couples on the day the law comes into effect.
BBC, The Guardian, PAP, tvn24.pl
Main image source: RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA/PAP