Wedding bells are ringing in Thailand; at long last – it's for the LGBTQIA+ community. The country's historic Marriage Equality Bill comes into effect today, making Thailand the first Southeast Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage. It's also third in all of Asia to do so after Taiwan and Nepal.
The Marriage Equality Bill has been cooking for quite a while. After decades-long efforts by Thai LGBTQIA+ activists, the legislation was passed by Thailand's parliament and endorsed by the king last year. It goes without saying that the new law is a very huge deal, granting full legal, financial, and medical rights to married couples of any gender. Same-sex couples will also have full inheritance and adoption rights.
If you're in Thailand now, you can expect nationwide celebrations. Bangkok will be particularly vibrant, with a mass wedding, Pride Carpet, and a mini-concert featuring drag stars and celebrities at Siam Paragon today, co-organised by Bangkok Pride. The campaign group is gunning for a world record too – it hopes more than 500 couples in Bangkok and more than 1,448 couples across Thailand will officially register their marriages to break the current record for the largest LGBTQIA+ marriage registration set in Brazil in 2014, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
It's not all about the 'I do's, of course. The marriage act is set to amp up rainbow tourism, events, media representation, and even retirement schemes. If you're part of the LGBTQIA+ community and looking for a queer-friendly destination this 2025, find out why Thailand is only going to become more of an LGBTQ+ paradise.
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