Thailand Officially Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

In a historic move, deep in the midst of Pride 2024, Thailand officially legalizes same-sex marriage! On June 2, Q+ Magazine reported that Thailand was slated to hear its third and final reading of the country’s marriage equality bill, and yesterday, the bill was officially passed into law. Thailand’s government announced that it would host a celebration of the new law, with supporters expected to take to the streets of Bangkok. Thailand joins the likes of Nepal and Taiwan in the region as being the first to legalize same-sex marriage. 

According to The Guardian, the bill essentially changes the language of Thailand’s marriage laws to be gender-neutral, eliminating terms such as ‘husband’, ‘wife’, ‘men’, and ‘woman’ to employ vocabulary such as ‘spouse’ and ‘person’ instead. Additionally, regardless of their gender, under these new laws, married couples will have equal rights regarding inheritance, health care, and adoption of children. This is a massive win for the Thai queer community. 

Despite the excitement, the Thai community will have to wait just a while longer before they can take their vows. It will take 120 days for the bill to be finalized, with the first same-sex weddings set to take place immediately after, later this year. 

As this huge cultural shift takes place and Thailand officially legalizes and recognizes the rights of the queer community, for some, this has been a long time coming. Two years ago at a Pride event in the country, a photo of a same-sex couple dressed in white wedding gowns engaging in a wedding ceremony went viral. Although they performed a ceremony, it was merely symbolic and in no way a legal act recognized by the Thai government. 

This passage of this new bill changes that. 

“This will change my life and change many Thai people’s lives, especially in the LGBT community,” said Anticha Sangchai, reported ABC News. 

“The hardest part is the government,” Ms Sangchai said. 

“It’s not the people, not our family, not society. It’s about the law because the government is quite conservative.

“We don’t need special laws, we just want the same laws as straight people, as everyone in Thailand.

“We just want to live together and take care of each other.”

As Thailand officially legalizes the rights of its queer people, the attention now shifts to other countries in Asia.

Congratulations Thailand!

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Featured Image: Photo © Lillian Suwanrumpha, AFP.