Thailand becomes first Southeast Asian nation to legalise same-sex marriage

Hundreds of same-sex couples are tying the knot in Thailand on Thursday, as the country becomes the first in Southeast Asia to legalize marriage equality, according to a report by CNN.

According to Bangkok Pride, which partnered with local authorities to organize the event, over 200 couples registered to marry at the Siam Paragon shopping center.

This bill marks a major victory for the LGBTQ+ community, which has spent more than a decade advocating for equal marriage rights.

The law, approved by Thailand’s parliament and endorsed by the king in 2024, grants same-sex couples the ability to legally register their marriages, offering them full legal, financial, and medical rights, as well as adoption and inheritance rights.

“This marriage equality law marks the beginning of Thai society’s greater awareness of gender diversity, and our embrace of everyone regardless of sexual orientation, race, or religion — our affirmation that everyone is entitled to equal rights and dignity,” Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said in a recorded message played at a mass wedding in the capital Bangkok on Thursday, according to CNN.

Shinawatra hailed the legalization of same-sex marriage as a historic milestone for equality and inclusion. She celebrated the LGBTQIA+ community’s decades-long struggle for marriage equality, calling it a “collective achievement from everyone’s efforts.”

Sharing a post on X, she wrote, “23 January 2025 – the day of Love Triumphant! More than two decades of fighting to pass the #MarriageEquality law, and two decades of confronting prejudices and societal values, have finally brought us to this day. This victory is a collective achievement from everyone’s efforts, especially the LGBTQIA+ community, who led the movement to bring marriage equality into effect. Today, the rainbow flag is proudly flying over Thailand.”

“This marriage equality law marks the beginning of Thai society’s greater awareness of gender diversity, and our embrace of everyone regardless of sexual orientation, race, or religion– our affirmation that everyone is entitled to equal rights and dignity,” the post added.

Notably, Thailand’s landmark marriage equality bill was officially written into law on September 24, 2024, allowing same-sex couples to legally wed. The law was published in the Royal Gazette after endorsement by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, CNN reported.