BANGKOK (AP) — Hundreds of LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand are expected to make their wedded status legal Thursday, the day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples.
The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the third place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal.
As many as 300 couples are expected to complete the formalities at a daylong gala celebration in an exhibition hall at a shopping mall in central Bangkok.
Hundreds more were predicted to register at district offices around the country. They included actors Apiwat “Porsch” Apiwatsayree and Sappanyoo ‘Arm’ Panatkool, who tied the knot at the Phra Nakorn district office in central Bangkok.
"We can love, we love equally, legally,” said Sappanyoo.
(asterisk)And 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,” his partner Apiwat said.
They posed afterwards on a terrace at the office, smiling and waving while clutching a bouquet of flowers.
Activists said they hoped at least 1,448 same sex marriages would take place Thursday, in reference to Civil and Commercial Code’s Article 1448.
Thailand's marriage equality bill, which sailed through both houses of parliament, amended Article 1448 to replace the words “man and woman” and “husband and wife” with “individuals” and “marriage partners.” It is intended to grant full legal, financial and medical rights to LGBTQ+ couples.
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’s Department of Household Registration.
Partners will have equal rights and responsibilities in dealing with joint assets, tax obligations and deductions, inheritance rights and survivor benefits.
Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity, and thousands of people from around the world attend the annual Bangkok Pride parade. 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.
Couples interviewed earlier this month by The Associated Press expressed happiness with the new law, even those already settled in contented long-term relationships.
Patherine Khunnares, 37, a web designer, said she and researcher Vivian Chullamon, 36, “have a supportive social circle, friends, and family who accept us for who we are and accept the person we love. Marriage, it seems, isn’t everything that fulfills us emotionally.
“However, ultimately, we believe that as two human beings, we should be granted the same basic legal rights as heterosexual couples. We are a complete family in spirit, but legal recognition would alleviate our future anxieties. In the end, we aren’t asking for anything special — we just want a simple, happy family life.”
Bangkok’s 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.
“It’s like a missing piece of the jigsaw,” Bangkok Deputy Gov. Sanon Wangsrangboon said at one of the workshops earlier this month. “Society is ready. The law is getting ready. But the last piece of the jigsaw is the understanding from officials.”
About three dozen countries around the world have legalized some form of same-sex marriage, more than half in Europe.
Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul, The Associated Press
