Jan. 23, 2025 was filled with joy and celebration as hundreds of same-sex couples took part in a mass wedding service at Siam Paragon mall in Bangkok. Thailand marks a historic moment as the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage — third in all of Asia, joining Taiwan and Nepal.
After a years-long fight to push the marriage equality bill forward, it was finally passed by the Senate in June 2024. The official signature of King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) in September 2024 marked the 120-day countdown.
In a pre-celebratory meeting with 2SLGBTQIA+ activists in early January, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra commended Thailand on this milestone and the mindset it reflected toward other countries.
While she couldn’t attend Thursday’s ceremony, as she was at the The World Economic Forum in Davos, she did express her support through social media.
“The rainbow flag is flying high over Thailand.”
Chadchart Sittipunt, Bangkok’s governor, was in attendance at this event and told BBC that this symbolized an all-encompassing community.
“We embrace everyone who’s different.”
