Although the bill passed the Senate in June, it still needed the royal assent to become law. It was released on Tuesday in the Royal Gazette and will take effect on January 22, 2019.
The decision was praised by activists as historic because it represents the end of years of marriage equality advocacy.
For the LGBTQ+ community, Thailand has long been considered a relative sanctuary in a region where such attitudes are uncommon.
The phrases “husbands,” “wives,” “men,” and “women” are replaced by gender-neutral terminology in the new law. Additionally, it gives same-sex spouses rights to inheritance and adoption.
Longtime LGBTQ+ activist and co-founder of the Bangkok Pride organization Ann Chumaporn told the news that “today we’re not only getting to write our names in marriage certificates, but we are also writing a page in history… that tells us that love never set a condition of who we were born to be.”
On January 22, she announced that she will be planning a large-scale wedding for over a thousand LGBTQ+ couples.
Advertising strategist Kwankaow Koosakulnirund remarked, “[The legal recognition] means we are fully accepted and can live our lives without conditions or compromises.”
