Bangkok>Thailand's king has officially enacted a marriage equality bill, making the country the first in Southeast Asia to recognize same-sex unions. The bill was published in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday with the approval of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
This legislation is the culmination of decades of advocacy by the country's sexual minorities for their rights. Thailand has long been seen as a relative haven for the LGBTQ+ community in a region where such attitudes are rare. Starting in January next year, same-sex marriages can be registered.
“Today we’re not only getting to write our names in marriage certificates, but we are also writing a page in history... that tells us that love never set a condition of who we were born to be,' Ann Chumaporn, a longtime LGBTQ+ activist and co-founder of the Bangkok Pride movement, told the media.
