Same-sex marriage has been allowed in Thailand since Thursday. Thanks to the new law, Thais and foreigners from the age of 18 can marry someone of the same sex. Gay marriage has now been legalized in more than thirty countries.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed her delight at the introduction of the law on Thursday, after “more than two decades of fighting” and “two decades of confronting prejudices.” “Today the rainbow flag flies proudly over Thailand.”
The law also means that LGBTI couples in Thailand now have the same rights as heterosexual couples. They can take each other’s surnames, claim tax benefits, receive each other’s inheritance and are eligible to adopt children.
Experts are nevertheless concerned about the interpretation of parts of the new law. For example, Thai law only stipulates that a man and woman may raise a child. It is therefore unclear whether LGBTI couples can actually adopt a child. Thai policymakers tried in vain last year to make the definition of a ‘parent’ more gender neutral.
Record attempt
The Thai LGBTI community hopes that 1,448 couples will get married on Thursday. If that succeeds, Thailand will set a world record that may be in the Guinness Book of Records is recorded. The number 1,448 refers to an article of the Thai law code in which the words man and woman have been replaced by the gender-neutral ‘partner’.
Every year, thousands of people come to the Thai capital Bangkok for Pride. Despite this, LGBTI people still face discrimination on a daily basis. Thai authorities organize lectures and further training, among other things, so that officials can speak to LGBTI couples in the right way.
Thai Thanaphon Chokhongsung (59) married Sumalee Sudsaynet (64) on Thursday. “We are so happy. We have been waiting for this for ten years,” she told the AFP news agency. “This allows us to enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples. My emotions today are so overwhelming, I can’t even put them into words.”