Thailand is legalizing same-sex marriage — the first country in Southeast Asia to do so. DW looks at what is next for Thailand and the region on LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality.

Hundreds of LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand made Thursday a life-changing occasion, registering their marriages legally on the first day a law took

Thailand has become the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise same-sex marriage, granting LGBTQ couples rights equal to heterosexual unions, including adoption, assets, and healthcare.

Hundreds of people began registering their marriages at a mall in Bangkok, as Thailand became one of the few places in Asia to legalize same-sex unions.

Thailand’s marriage equality law is set to take effect on Jan. 22. The country will become the first one in Southeast Asia — and the third in the continent after Taiwan and Nepal — to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. Thai MPs passed the marriage equality bill on June 15, 2024, by a 210-180 vote margin. Four lawmakers abstained.

Hundreds of LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand have experienced a life-changing occasion, registering their marriages legally on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual c

Thailand's historic same-sex marriage equality law came into force on Thursday, making it the first country in Southeast Asia and third territory in Asia after Taiwan and Nepal to legalise marriages of same-sex couples.

Thailand has become the first Southeast Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage, with hundreds of LGBTQ+ couples registering their marriages under the new Marriage Equality Act. View on euronews

Last year, Thailand’s parliament passed its Marriage Equality Bill, making it the third country in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, to allow same-sex marriage. The bill was then signed into law by King Vajiralongkorn in September, and came into effect 120 days afterward.

The law allows all Thai couples aged 18 or above to marry regardless of gender, giving them access to medical, inheritance and property rights.

The Southeast Asian nation is the third jurisdiction in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage after Taiwan and Nepal.

Marriage registration is customarily done at district offices, but on Thursday, around 300 couples are expected to complete the formalities at a daylong gala celebration in an exhibition hall at a shopping mall in central Bangkok.