{"id":12267,"date":"2025-01-22T11:38:30","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T11:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/22\/hundreds-of-same-sex-couples-to-marry-as-thailands-landmark-marriage-bill-takes-effect\/"},"modified":"2025-01-22T11:38:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T11:38:30","slug":"hundreds-of-same-sex-couples-to-marry-as-thailands-landmark-marriage-bill-takes-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/22\/hundreds-of-same-sex-couples-to-marry-as-thailands-landmark-marriage-bill-takes-effect\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds of same-sex couples to marry as Thailand\u2019s landmark marriage bill takes effect"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hundreds of same-sex couples are expected to tie the knot across Thailand on Thursday as the country becomes the first in Southeast Asia to recognize marriage equality. <\/p>\n

The landmark bill marks a momentous win for the LGBTQ+ community, which has fought for more than a decade for the same marriage rights as heterosexual couples. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis could be a model for the world because we now have Thailand as a model. There is true marriage equality in Thailand,\u201d said Kittinun Daramadhaj, a lawyer and president of Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand, one of many who has been campaigning for equality. <\/p>\n

Under the legislation, passed by Thailand\u2019s parliament and endorsed by the king last year, same-sex couples will be able to register their marriages with full legal, financial, and medical rights, as well as adoption and inheritance rights. <\/p>\n

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra hailed the country\u2019s success at an event last week, when she invited dozens of LGBTQ+ couples and activists to the government\u2019s offices. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis demonstrates that Thailand is ready to embrace diversity and accept love in all its forms. Today shows that our country is open and accepting,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Celebrations will take place on Thursday in other parts of the country stretching from the eastern coastal city of Pattaya to the mountainous northern city of Chiang Mai. <\/p>\n

In downtown Bangkok, at least 200 couples have signed up to get married in a mass wedding at a popular shopping mall, according to Bangkok Pride, which co-organized the event with local authorities. <\/p>\n

Rainbow flags are expected to ripple through the heart of Bangkok, with a \u201cpride carpet\u201d to be rolled out at a celebration to welcome the newlyweds, and performances by celebrities and drag queens. <\/p>\n

A dream comes true<\/h2>\n

For some, such as Nina Chetniphat Chuadkhunthod, who will attend the mass celebration at the Siam Paragon shopping mall, the day feels long overdue. <\/p>\n

The transgender woman has not been able to marry her boyfriend of 22 years because she is unable to legally change her gender identity. But with same-sex marriage now being recognized, they can tie the knot. <\/p>\n

Chuadkhunthod and her fianc\u00e9e held their wedding party three weeks ago. At a wedding hall on the outskirts of Bangkok, the couple walked down the aisle in locked arms, as bridesmaids sprinkled their path with rose petals amid cheers from friends and relatives. They plan to register their marriage on Thursday. <\/p>\n

\u201cI felt the proudest moment of my life that I could do this and let people know, let the industry and friends around me know that I could do it,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

One factor adding particular urgency for the couple is the 7-year-old girl they have been raising as their daughter for three years. The girl is the daughter of Chuadkhunthod\u2019s uncle, who is unable to look after her. <\/p>\n

They plan to adopt the girl and live a life as a family, but cannot do so without a valid marriage. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had tears flowing from my eyes when we were thinking about our lives (without the same-sex marriage law). What if \u2026 I, or he, or even my daughter fell ill, who would look after us?\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

But now, she said: \u201cI can confidently say that I can do it, building a family of my own.\u201d <\/p>\n

Philippine national Ana Boncan met her Thai girlfriend Siri Wattanavikij through a dating app six years ago when she was working in Europe. In 2020, Boncan moved to Bangkok to be with her. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith this opportunity to get legally married here in Thailand, it gives us the opportunity to have a marriage visa,\u201d Boncan said. <\/p>\n

One thing on the couple\u2019s mind is the possibility of one of them falling ill, and the other being barred from visiting or making life-and-death decisions due to the lack of a marriage certificate. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we go to the hospital, I can tell them that this is my wife, this is my partner, she makes decisions for me, things like that. Unlike before, they wouldn\u2019t accept it in the hospital,\u201d Boncan said. <\/p>\n

The fight goes on<\/h2>\n

But rights experts have warned Thailand may well be the last Asian jurisdiction to recognize same-sex marriage for some time, given the incremental progress elsewhere in the region. <\/p>\n

More than 30 jurisdictions worldwide now recognize same-sex marriage, according to the Pew Research Center, but most advances have been made in Europe, the Americas and Australasia. <\/p>\n

Thailand is the third in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage after Taiwan in 2019 and Nepal four years later. <\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
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A gay couple makes a toast during a mass wedding banquet in front of the Presidential Palace in Taipei, Taiwan on May 25, 2019.<\/span> <\/div>
Sam Yeh\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n
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Nepali same-sex couple Maya Gurung and Surendra Panday take part in a Pride Parade in Kathmandu on August 31, 2023.<\/span> <\/div>
Prakash Mathema\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Back in Thailand, the fight for equal rights continues for other sexual minorities, such as transgender people. <\/p>\n

Rights advocate Hua Boonyapisomparn, from local advocacy group Foundation of Transgender Alliance for Human Rights, said the next milestone is for the Thai government to let transgender people change their gender identity. <\/p>\n

The country is home to an estimated 314,000 trans people, according to the Asia Pacific Transgender Network. <\/p>\n

There is a commonly held conception that trans people are widely embraced in Thailand, partly due to how accessible gender affirming surgery is in the country, and the prominence of trans entertainers. <\/p>\n

But local transgender people, including Chuadkhunthod, would testify to the day-to-day discrimination they face. <\/p>\n

\u201cEven now, as a Thai person, they still look down on us, seeing us as a joke. They laugh and smile, nudging each other while looking at us,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Parliament rejected a proposed gender recognition bill last February during the previous military-backed government led by Prayut Chan-o-cha. Activists are now trying to put it back on the political agenda. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe should use marriage equality as an opportunity to open another door for gender recognition,\u201d Boonyapisomparn said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hundreds of same-sex couples are expected to tie the knot across Thailand on Thursday as the country becomes the first in Southeast Asia to recognize marriage equality. The landmark bill marks a momentous win for the LGBTQ+ community, which has fought for more than a decade for the same marriage rights as heterosexual couples. \u201cThis <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12268,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12267","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12267\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}