A NEW ERA FOR LOVE

Advocates continue to push for broader legal reforms to ensure full equality for LGBTI and diverse family recognition

- STORY: THANA BOONLERT

Thousands of marchers painted the heart of Bangkok in rainbow colours earlier this month. Despite their smile, Rungtiwa Tangkanopas and Panlawee Jongtangsatjatham, a lesbian couple, have given blood, sweat and tears in their fight for the right to family.

Rungtiwa married her male friend to fulfil her mother’s wish. They gave birth to a child via assisted reproductive technology. It was after his passing that she dated Panlawee, who got along with her daughter. Over a decade ago, they were denied registration for a marriage certificate at the Bang Rak District Office because the law did not allow it. It was followed by years of campaigning for marriage equality.

As Thailand legalised same-sex marriage earlier this year, thousands of couples have tied the knot. A day before their registration, they encountered legal complications. Rungtiwa learned that she had to terminate using her late husband’s surname. "However, my mother-in-law objected to it because she loves me and my partner so much. Despite our [same-sex] relationship, raising my daughter together is a labour of pure love. If we had not cherished her, my mother-in-law would not allow me to use her surname. Her adoption of me has made my new marriage possible. We have been very happy ever since," she said.

They shared their experience in a forum titled "After The Passage Of Marriage Equality", during the three-day Bangkok Pride Festival 2025 at Siam Paragon on May 31. It culminated with Pride Parade on June 1, with a 200m-long rainbow flag stretching from National Stadium to Ratchaprasong Intersection for the first time in Thailand's history.