Thai LGBTQ+ couples register marriages as law gives them equal status

Pisit Sirihirunchai, left, and Chanatip Sirihirunchai from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand made Thursday a life-changing occasion, registering their marriages legally on the first 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 South East Asia and the third place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal.

As many as 300 couples had been expected to complete the formalities at a day-long gala celebration in an exhibition hall at a shopping centre in central Bangkok, though by late afternoon the total was less than half of that.

Rungtiwa Thangkanopast, fourth from right, and Phanlavee, right, whose photo was taken on condition of anonymity of the last name, pose for a group photo with other family members after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand (Sakchai L

Hundreds more were predicted to register at district offices around the country, though actual numbers were not immediately available.

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.

“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.

Similar sentiments were voiced at the shopping centre mass event, where same-sex couple Pisit Sirihirunchai, 36, a policeman, and his partner Chanatip Sirihirunchai, 42, registered.

“Don’t put a limit just because they are same sex or whatever they are. Love is a beautiful thing. We should not stop them,” Pisit said.

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificate in Bangkok (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

“I want to see the same-sex marriage law available in every country where LGBTQ+ couples are,” Chanatip chimed in.

Activists said they hoped at least 1,448 same-sex marriages would take place nationwide on Thursday, in a nod to the Civil and Commercial Code’s Article 1448, that they had successfully lobbied to get amended.

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.

Partners will have equal rights and responsibilities in dealing with joint assets, tax obligations and deductions, inheritance rights and survivor benefits.

At the Siam Paragon shopping centre, former prime minister Srettha Thavisin led a parade of newlyweds on a rainbow-coloured carpet outside the exhibition hall.

Current Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra addressed the crowd by video message, declaring: “From now on, all love will be certified by law. All couples will live with honour and dignity in Thailand.”

Mr Srettha, under whose government the ruling Pheu Thai party introduced the new law, offered a sharper and more timely comment, obviously referencing US President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech on Monday, in which he declared it will be the official policy of his government “that there are only two genders, male and female”.

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community wait to sign their marriage certificates in Bangkok (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

While he did not mention Mr Trump by name, Mr Srettha said “a powerful country’s” new leader “announced clearly that there are only two genders in his country”.

Striking a comparison between that “powerful country” and Thailand’s mid-sized population and smaller economy, he said: “I believe our heart is bigger.”

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.

Bangkok’s city government has said that it organised 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.

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community wait for their marriage certificates (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

“It’s like a missing piece of the jigsaw,” Bangkok deputy governor 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 legalised some form of same-sex marriage, more than half in Europe.

In Taiwan, which in 2019 was the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage, 526 people registered on the first day, according to its government’s Department of Household Registration.