Activists hail the Thai king's signing of a marriage equality law as a “monumental step” in the country.
Thailand's king has signed a landmark marriage equality bill into law, making the kingdom the first country in Southeast Asia to recognise same-sex marriages.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn approved the new law on Tuesday, according to the Royal Gazette. The legislation will come into effect in 120 days, meaning LGBTQ+ couples will be able to register their marriage in January next year.
Campaigners hailed the move as a “monumental step,” with Thailand only the third place in Asia where same-sex couples can legally marry, after Taiwan and Nepal.
The law, which passed the House and Senate in April and June respectively, grants full legal, financial and medical rights to spouses of either gender. It uses gender-neutral terms instead of “men,” “women,” “husbands” and “wives,” and also grants adoption and inheritance rights to same-sex couples.
The king's formal approval marks the culmination of years of campaigning and failed attempts to pass equal marriage laws.
“The law is a monumental step towards equal rights in Thailand,” LGBTQ rights advocate Waaddao Chumaporn told AFP news agency.
She plans to host a mass wedding for more than a thousand LGBTQ+ couples in Bangkok on January 22, the first day the law comes into effect.
“We are all delighted and excited. We have been fighting for our rights for more than 10 years and now it is finally happening,” LGBTQ activist Siritata Ninlapruek told AFP in a trembling voice.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted congratulations “for the love of everyone” on social media platform X.
“Thank you for the support from all sectors. It is a joint fight for all of us,” she wrote with the hashtag #LoveWins.
Thailand has long had an international reputation for tolerance towards the LGBTQ community, and opinion polls published in local media have shown overwhelming public support for marriage equality.
However, much of the Buddhist-majority kingdom retains traditional and conservative values, and LGBTQ people say they still face barriers and discrimination in everyday life.
More than 30 countries around the world have legalised marriage for all since the Netherlands became the first to allow same-sex unions in 2001.
Last year, India's highest court deferred a decision on the matter to parliament and Hong Kong's top court came close to granting full marriage rights.
Thai activists have been pushing for the right to same-sex marriage for more than a decade, but their advocacy has been stalled by political turmoil in a country that has regularly been rocked by coups and mass street protests.
