Thailand has become the first country in Southeast Asia and the third country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

Hundreds of couples are tying the knot in Thailand as it becomes the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage.

The Marriage Equality Act was passed overwhelmingly in a historic parliamentary vote last June and approved by King Maha Vajiralongkorn in October, and comes into effect on Thursday.

Thai marriage law now uses gender-neutral terms instead of “man”, “woman”, “husband” and “wife”. It also gives same-sex couples the same adoption and inheritance rights as opposite-sex couples for the first time.

Same-sex couples can now also make medical decisions for their sick or incapacitated partner and provide their spouse with personal financial benefits, including a state pension.

Campaign group Bangkok Pride and the Bangkok City Council organized a mass LGBTQ wedding in the Thai capital, with around 180 couples gathering at the Siam Paragon shopping mall from 8am to register their weddings. union.

“This day is important not only for us, but also for our children. Our family will finally become one,” trans woman Ariya “Jin” Milintanapa told AFP.

Thailand ranks high on the LGBTQ Laws and Living Conditions Index and has now become the third country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal.

The law’s passage marks the culmination of a nearly decade-long campaign by the LGBTQ community to pass an equal marriage law in Thailand. The Netherlands became the first country to allow same-sex unions in 2001, with more than 30 countries around the world following suit in the years since.

Last week, during a celebratory photo shoot ahead of the law taking effect, Thai Prime Minister Pethonthan Shinawatra stressed the need to recognize gender identity in addition to biological sex.

“Whether it’s male, female or non-binary, people should have the right to choose who they are on their own terms,” ​​she said.

“No matter your gender or who you love, love has no limits or expectations. Everyone will be protected by the same laws.”

Although opinion polls show overwhelming public support for the move, much of Thailand, a Buddhist-majority country, remains traditional and conservative.