Thailand made history today, January 23, 2025, as it became the first country in Southeast Asia to achieve full marriage equality, with over 300 couples tying the knot in a mass wedding ceremony in Bangkok.
A landmark same-sex marriage law was passed, which received royal approval and was published in the Royal Gazette on September 24, 2024. The law revises Thailand’s Civil and Commercial Code, replacing gender-specific terms with gender-neutral ones, such as “individuals” and “marriage partners”.
This legislation grants LGBTQ couples full legal, financial, and medical rights, recognizing their dignity and equality as human beings. As Ann “Waaddao” Chumaporn, a prominent gender equality activist and lead organizer of Bangkok Pride, aptly put it, “(The law) is about returning our dignity, and confirming that we also have dignity as a human being”.
Thailand has joined Taiwan and Nepal as the third Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage. The country’s Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, along with top officials, commemorated this milestone at a celebratory event hosted by the Government House on January 15.
Bangkok Pride, in partnership with government agencies, organized a grand celebration in central Bangkok, where over 300 couples registered to wed on the first official day of the new law.
