Thai Do
Hundreds of same-sex couples got married in Thailand on Thursday after the country became the first in Southeast Asia to recognize marriage equality in a landmark bill, CNN reported.
The new legislation, passed by parliament in June, allows same-sex couples to register their marriage with full legal, financial, medical, adoption, and inheritance rights.
Celebrations erupted nationwide and a mass wedding took place at the Siam Paragon shopping center in Bangkok on Thursday. The event was organized with Bangkok Pride and local authorities, and at least 200 couples signed up to get married.
The bill was written into law by Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn following decades of campaigning from activists. The fight for marriage equality in Thailand, despite the country’s social openness to the LGBTQ community, has been hindered by the turbulent political scene, including a military coup in 2014, according to NPR.
This new bill ensured equal rights for same-sex couples in bureaucratic processes such as adoption procedures and marriage visas, helping to reunite families and strengthen their legal and social standing.
“This marriage equality law marks the beginning of Thai society’s greater awareness of gender diversity, and our embrace of everyone regardless of sexual orientation, race, or religion – our affirmation that everyone is entitled to equal rights and dignity,” Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said in a recorded message that was played at the event.
Despite the win for the LGBTQ community, analysts say Thailand may be the last Asian jurisdiction to recognize same-sex marriage for a while. Thailand is also the third in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage, according to CNN.
And in Thailand, there are limits to the social acceptance of the community. Last February, the Thai parliament rejected a proposed gender recognition bill.
Activists want to get it back on the political agenda to help recognize an estimated 314,000 trans people in the country, according to the Asia Pacific Transgender Network.
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