Thailand has made history as the first nation in Southeast Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.
According to Al Jazeera, days after the 47th President of America Donald Trump signed an order that the US will recognise only two genders, “male and female,” hundreds of same-sex couples tied the knot in Thailand after the country made it legal.
The Asian country that approved the Marriage Equality Act with a historic parliamentary majority in June 2024, which was later signed by King Maha Vajiralongkorn in October, finally came into effect on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
The law used gender-neutral terms “husbands” and “wives” instead of men and women. Same-sex couples, for the first time ever, will have the same adoption and inheritance rights as heterosexual couples.
Moreover, Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra also emphasised the need to recognise genders beyond biological sex, saying, “Whether male, female, or non-binary, people should have the right to identify as they wish. No matter your gender or who you love, love knows no limits or expectations. Everyone will be protected under the same laws.”
To celebrate the historic milestone, around 180 same-sex couples got married together in Bangkok.
Notably, the Netherlands was the first country in the world to allow same-sex unions in 2001, after which more than 30 countries have also made it legal.
