Why has Thailand become a haven for gay couples?

“It has been a long, tear-filled battle for us.”

That's how Anne “Wadao” Chumaporn describes the years leading up to this moment — on Thursday, when same-sex marriage became legal in Thailand, and more than a hundred couples will tie the knot in one of Bangkok's largest shopping malls, in a riot of color and celebration.

And the same question heard all the time Long campaign to get equal marriage law passed The question will be asked again: Why Thailand? Why not somewhere else in Asia, except Taiwan and Nepal?

People think they know the answer. Thailand is known for its openness and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It has long been visible in all walks of life. Thai people are easy going with almost everything. “Mai Pen Rai” – no big deal – is a popular national catchphrase. Buddhist beliefs, followed by more than 90% of Thais, do not prohibit gay lifestyles. It is certain, then, that equal marriage was inevitable.

Except it wasn't. “It wasn't easy,” says Ms Wadau, who organizes the Bangkok Pride Parade.

Thailand's first Pride Parade took place just 25 years ago. At the time, police approval was difficult to obtain, and the march was a chaotic and unfocused event. After 2006, only two marches were held until 2022. In 2009, one of the planned pride marches in Chiang Mai was abandoned due to the threat of violence.

“We were not accepted by our families and society,” Ms. Waddow adds. “There were times when we didn't think marriage equality would ever happen, but we never gave up.”

Despite Thailand's general tolerance towards gay people, achieving equal rights, including marriage, requires a determined campaign to change attitudes in officialdom and Thai society. And attitudes have changed.

When Chakkrit “Ink” Vadhanavira started dating his partner in 2001, they were both actors playing lead roles in TV serials. At that time, the Thai Ministry of Health still officially described homosexuality as a mental illness.

“At that time, society was not accepting of leading male roles played by a gay man,” recalls Mr Shakrit. “There was a lot of gossip about us in the media, most of it untrue, which really stressed us out.”

“We then decided that if we were going to date each other, we had to leave the entertainment industry.”

They are still together, but have kept a low profile for over 20 years, running a successful production company.

A lot has changed in that time – and their industry gets some credit for that.

The way LGBT characters are portrayed in Thai TV dramas, from comedic oddities to mainstream roles, has made a big difference, according to Tinnaphop Sinsomboonthong, an assistant professor at Thammasat University who identifies as queer.

“These days they represent us as ordinary characters, as you see in real life,” he says. “The kind of LGBTQ+ colleague you might have in the office, or your LGBTQ+ neighbor. This has really helped change perceptions and values ​​across all generations.”

Dramas called “Boy Love” helped bring the rest of society closer to the idea of ​​not just tolerance, but full acceptance and equal rights for society.

The popularity of these romantic TV dramas depicting love relationships between beautiful young people has increased dramatically over the past decade, especially during the Covid pandemic.

It is now one of Thailand's most successful cultural exports, with a large audience in places such as China. Series like My School President and Love Sick have received hundreds of millions of views on streaming networks.

At the same time, activists have become more focused and united in their attempt to change the law. Various LGBT groups came together to campaign for change 1448 – 1448 is the clause in the Thai Civil Code covering the definition of marriage – and later under the Rainbow Coalition for Marriage Equality.

They linked up with other groups fighting for greater rights and freedoms in Thailand, and learned to work with political parties in Parliament to persuade them to change their stance on the law.

The resumption of pride parades in 2022, and urging the government to recognize and promote Thailand's appeal as an attractive destination for LGBT travellers, has also helped change public perceptions.

“We didn't fight, we negotiated,” Mr. Tenafub says. “We knew we had to talk to Thai society, and little by little we changed our positions.”

Political developments in Thailand also contributed to getting the Equal Marriage Act through Parliament.

For five years after the 2014 coup, the country was ruled by a conservative military government, which was only willing to consider recognizing civil partnerships for same-sex couples, without full rights such as inheritance.

But in the 2019 election that returned Thailand to civilian rule, a new youth reform party called Future Forward, which fully supported equal marriage, did unexpectedly well. They won the third largest share of seats, revealing a growing desire for change in Thailand.

When a year later Future Forward has been dissolved Under a controversial court ruling, this sparked months of student-led protests demanding sweeping reforms, including limiting the power of the monarchy.

Gay rights activists were prominent in those protests, giving them greater national importance. The protests eventually died down, and several leaders were arrested for questioning the role of the monarchy.

But in the 2023 elections, the successor to the self-styled Future Forward Party will come Move Forward, performed better than in 2019, Winning more seats than any other party. Once again, it was clear that the desire for change was felt by Thai people of all ages.

The Move Forward movement was prevented from forming a government by conservatives who objected to its call for sweeping political reforms.

But by this time, equal marriage was less controversial. Few disagreed. His endorsement of the unwieldy and unpopular coalition government, which had been formed without “moving forward”, gave a quick win to the satisfaction of much of the country.

But Thailand is an anomaly in Asia. A few other countries in the region are likely to follow suit.

The influence of Islam in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei makes the idea of ​​equal marriage unacceptable. LGBT communities there face discrimination and prosecution; In Brunei, sex between men is punishable by death.

In the Philippines, there is a growing acceptance of gay couples living openly together. But the Roman Catholic Church strongly opposes same-sex marriage.

In Vietnam, like Thailand, there are no religious or ideological barriers, but campaigning to change the law, as happened in Thailand, is difficult under a repressive regime. The same applies to China. Until the ruling Communist Party supports equal marriage, which it shows no sign of doing, it cannot happen.

Even in democracies such as Japan and South Korea – where political parties are largely conservative and dominated by older men – the outlook is bleak.

“It's largely conservative Christians who are preventing this,” says Chae Yeon Han, executive director of the Beyond the Rainbow Foundation in South Korea.

“Most, if not all, politicians in President Yoon's conservative party are devout Christians, and have positioned marriage equality as a 'leftist agenda', which would potentially open up society to 'leftist communist control.'

India appeared close to legalizing same-sex marriage in 2023, when the decision reached the Supreme Court – but The judges refusedSaying that it is up to Parliament.

So Thailand hopes to benefit from being a leader. Tourism is one of the few areas of the Thai economy that is doing well in the post-pandemic recovery, and the country is seen as a safe and welcoming destination for LGBT holidaymakers.

Increasing numbers of same-sex couples from other Asian countries are now choosing to live here.

The legal recognition they can receive for their marriage will allow them to raise children and grow old with almost all the rights and protections afforded to heterosexual couples.