Hundreds wed as same-sex marriage law takes effect

Pawan Iamwet, 35, and Kamonchanok Chumruan, 38, celebrate the official registration of their wedding during a ceremony at Siam Paragon in Bangkok on Thursday as the Marriage Equality Act took effect. (Photo: Chinnawat Singha)
Pawan Iamwet, 35, and Kamonchanok Chumruan, 38, celebrate the official registration of their wedding during a ceremony at Siam Paragon in Bangkok on Thursday as the Marriage Equality Act took effect. (Photo: Chinnawat Singha)

Same-sex couples across Thailand got married at district offices and shopping malls as the long-awaited Marriage Equality Act officially took effect on Thursday.

A mass LGBTQ+ wedding in the capital, organised by the campaign group Bangkok Pride, was staged at Siam Paragon with hundreds of marriage registrations expected.

Other weddings were planned around the country, and organisers say they expected at least 1,000 couples to marry on the first day.

Thailand ranks highly in surveys of LGBTQ+ legal and living conditions and public attitudes, and Thursday’s milestone makes it the first Southeast Asian country to allow equal marriage.

The kingdom’s same-sex marriage bill was passed in a historic parliamentary vote last June, making it the third place in Asia to do so after Taiwan and Nepal.

The law officially took effect on Jan 23.

The law on marriage now uses gender-neutral terms in place of “men”, “women”, “husbands” and “wives”, and also grants adoption and inheritance rights to same-sex couples.

More than 30 countries around the world have legalised marriage for all since the Netherlands became the first to allow same-sex unions in 2001.

Vocabulary

  • adoption (noun): the act of adopting a child (or an animal) - การรับเลี้ยงบุตรบุญธรรม
  • attitude: someone’s opinions or feelings about something, especially as shown by their behaviour - ทัศนคติ, ลักษณะท่าทาง
  • capital: the most important town or city of a country, usually where the central government operates from - เมืองหลวง
  • equality: the state of being equal, especially in having the same rights, status and opportunities - ความเสมอภาค
  • gender neutral: not separated or divided by gender or sex -
  • inheritance: money or objects that someone gives you when they die - มรดก
  • marriage: the ceremony in which two people become husband and wife; the legal relationship between a husband and wife - การแต่งงาน, การสมรส, ภาวะที่แต่งงานกัน
  • mass: a large amount of something - ปริมาณมาก
  • milestone: an event or achievement that marks an important stage in a process - เหตุการณ์สำคัญ (ที่ควรบันทึกไว้)
  • parliamentary (adj): connected with a parliament, a law-making body - เกี่ยวกับรัฐสภา
  • registration: the process of recording names or information on an official list - การขึ้นทะเบียน, การลงทะเบียน
  • wed: to marry - สมรส, แต่งงาน

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