Joyful scenes as Thailand legalises same-sex marriage

Hundreds of couples have been married in Bangkok as Thailand became the first country in southeast Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.

- TOMMY WALKER

An amendment to Thailand's Criminal and Civil Code means that same-sex couples can now legally wed in the country and benefit from the same rights as any other couple, including financial, medical, adoption and inheritance rights.

Thailand is the third country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage, behind Taiwan and Nepal. LGBT+ groups hoped to achieve 1,448 wedding registrations on day one, a symbolic number that refers to the section of the Thai civil code where a key amendment changed the words husband and wife to “spouse”.

The organisers, along with related agencies, plan to compile figures from ceremonies nationwide and submit a request to Guinness World Records to recognise Thailand as the holder of the record for the world’s highest number of same-sex marriages to be registered in a single day. “One-four-four-eight symbolises the fight for marriage rights for all genders. It represents the dream and hope of building an inclusive society that accepts and celebrates love in all its forms,” LGBT+ group Bangkok Pride said.

At a mass wedding ceremony organised by the group at the upmarket Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok, rainbow flags, flowers, love hearts and smiles are all around. Hundreds of same-sex couples have registered to get married, including a police officer, and they proudly show their marriage certificates to those in attendance.