Thailand’s King Officially Signs Same-Sex Marriage Into Law
The anticipation surrounding this event has been monumental! On Tuesday, September 24 Thailand’s King officially signed same-sex marriage into law in the South Asian nation. The bill made it through both the House of Representatives and the Senate back in April, and this last step in the process is the last formality needed for the queer community in Thailand to legally marry their spouses, once and for all.
As Thailand’s King has now officially endorsed the law, it was published in the Royal Gazette and marriage for same-sex couples will be legally accessible in 120 days. LGBTQ members of Thai society will be able to register their same-sex unions by January 2024, positioning the nation as the third place in the Asian region to advance their LGBTQ rights. Taiwan led the charge on this, and Nepal followed suit.
The bill grants full legal, financial, and medical rights for marriage partners of any gender, and has been met with much celebration within the nation. The LGBTQ community in Thailand has been working tirelessly for over a decade to make this change possible. Despite the recent shift in the general public’s opinion on LGBTQ issues, the Thai society generally fosters more conservative values. Government and state agencies tend to err on the side of conservatism as well, making the road to equality for LGBTQ activists a tough one.
However, the battle has now been won, and now celebrations are in order. LGBTQ+ rights advocate Waaddao Chumaporn told AFP, “The law is a monumental step towards equal rights in Thailand.”
She also said that she is making preparations for a mass wedding in the country’s capital to celebrate this historic event. She is hoping to attract over 1000 same-sex couples willing to get hitched in Bangkok on January 22, 2025.
Will she be able to make it happen? We’re sure Thailand’s King won’t have any objections now!
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Featured Image: Courtesy of PPTV, 2022.
