I always cry at wedding ceremonies, and I think I like doing it. I like it to the point that it has become one of the main reasons to go to a wedding: to cry as a congratulatory gesture to the groom and the bride.
I can't help it. How could you not cry when you are watching two people in love, talking about the journey of their love life, singing a cheesy love song together (even though some of them can't really sing)? But it's the love in their eyes and their honest vows to take care of each other forever that makes my eyes water.
Will I cry at my own wedding? Before I get to that question, what I should ask is: Will I ever get married?
After what happened last week, the answer is maybe.
Not that someone proposed to me last week, but there was a groundbreaking moment for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Thailand when more than 200 people showed up to support what may end up as the country's first civil partnership bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry legally.
After news about the drafting of the same-sex marriage bill spread, interested organisations hosted the first public hearing last week at Chandrakasem Rajabhat University in Bangkok.
Unfortunately, I missed the hearing myself as I was on assignment in the South. But I can't help but feeling excited for this movement because, if it becomes law, it will definitely change my life, as well as the lives of others in the LGBT community in Thailand. More than that, it could light up hope for our brothers and sisters in the neighbouring countries, where it would lead to similar movements.
Three more public hearings will take place: at Chiang Mai University tomorrow, Khon Kaen University on Feb 22 and Prince of Songkhla University on March 1. Opinions will be collected and used to amend the bill before being sent to cabinet for further consideration.
If you believe that a loving couple, no matter what gender they are, should have the right to get married, please show your support!
Every time I am in a discussion about same-sex marriage, there are people who say society accepts LGBT people enough and maybe we shouldn't ask for more. Such arguments reinforce the idea that the LGBT community is somehow unequal and should accept second-class treatment, which is terribly wrong. LGBT people are in every facet of society. We are among the forces that drive this country forward. We are your neighbours, your colleagues, your friends, your brothers, your sisters, your daughters, and your sons.
How could the love of gay couples be less important than that of straight couples? How can you measure different degrees of love? How could the love your daughter has for you be real, but her love for her female partner not be?
Being gay is not a lifestyle. It is who we are and our identity. LGBT people deserve equal rights to other citizens and taxpayers. Legalised same-sex marriage will guarantee basic rights such as joint taxation, inheritance, family health coverage and medical decision-making. The movement asks nothing more than a basic human right, our right to cry at our own weddings.
Yanapon Musiket writes about art and entertainment for Life and has a monthly column, Queer Eye, dedicated to gay rights and gender diversity.