On marriage equality, pointers from Bangkok

The day United States (US) President Donald Trump signed an executive order to erase protections given to LGBTQ+ persons in his country, Thailand became the first Southeast Asian nation and third in Asia (after Taiwan and Nepal) to legally recognise same-sex marriage.

- Niranjan Sahoo

The landmark legislation was passed by the Thai parliament in June last year and ratified by the King in August 2024 to provide the legal foundation. As soon as the law came into force, authorities in Bangkok and other cities provided marriage certificates to hundreds of couples, and celebrations and mass marriages took place across the country. Thai Prime Minister (PM) Paetongtarn Shinawatra called the moment historic as she welcomed the LGBTQ+ couples and supporters to the government offices.

Now, Thailand's LGBTQ+ couples will enjoy the same legal, financial, medical and adoption rights as others. A marriage certificate means they can adopt children, manage their assets, and inherit them. Significantly, they can make decisions about medical treatment if a partner falls ill or is incapacitated, including extension of financial benefits from government pensions.

Getting the marriage equality law enacted was not easy. While Thailand has been LGBTQ-friendly for long, most people are socially conservative. Pre-colonial Thai society was accepting of non-heteronormativity, but this changed under the colonisers' Victorian-era "virtues".