Thailand legalizes same-sex marriage in a historic step

As Thailand's long-awaited equal marriage law takes effect on Thursday, police officer Pisit “Q” Siririhiroonchai hopes to be the first to marry his long-time partner Chanatip “Jin” Siririhirunchai.

About 180 same-sex couples are registering their marriage at one of Bangkok's largest shopping malls, in an event city officials helped organize to celebrate the legal milestone.

“We've been prepared for a long time,” Bissette says. “We were waiting for the law to catch up and support us.”

The two men were together for seven years. Eager to formalize their relationship, they actually went to a Buddhist monk to give them an auspicious new name they could share – Sirihirunchai. They also asked local officials to issue a letter of intent, which they signed and pledged to marry.

But they say that recognition of their union under Thai law is what they have really dreamed of. This means that LGBTQ+ couples now have the same rights as any other couple to engage, marry, manage their assets, inherit and adopt children.

They can make decisions about medical treatment if their partner becomes ill or incapacitated, or provide financial benefits – such as the Bisset State Pension – to their spouses.

“We want to build a future together – build a house, start a small business together, maybe a café,” he adds, listing everything the law made possible. “We want to build our future together and take care of each other.”

Brissett says he has the full support of his colleagues at the police station, and hopes he can encourage others in government service to be open about their sexuality: “They should feel emboldened because they see us coming out without any repercussions, just positive ones.” Responses.”

As a younger couple, Brissette and Chanateb — both in their mid-30s — faced fewer obstacles than those who came out early.

But for their community, it has been a long journey. Despite Thailand's famous tolerance towards gay people, activists say it took a sustained campaign to gain legal recognition.

“We have been waiting for this day for 18 years – the day when everyone can recognize us openly, when we no longer need to evade or hide,” says Rungtiwa Thangkanobast, 59, who is marrying her partner of 18 years. in May.

She was married, arranged by her family, to a gay man, but he later died. She gave birth to a daughter, through artificial insemination, but after her husband's death she began taking time out and later helped run one of Bangkok's first gay bars. Then she met Vanlavi, who is now 45 and goes only by her first name.

On Valentine's Day 2013, the two women went to the Bang Rak district office in central Bangkok to formally propose, a popular place to register a marriage because the name in Thai means “city of love.”

This was the time when LGBTQ+ couples began to challenge the official view of marriage as an exclusively heterosexual partnership by trying to obtain marriage certificates at district offices.

There were about 400 heterosexual couples waiting with them that day. Rungtiwa and Vanlavi were rejected, and the Thai media ridiculed their efforts, using derogatory slang for lesbians.

However, activists were able to convince the government to consider changing marriage laws. A proposed Civil Partnership Bill has been introduced to Parliament, which offers some formal recognition to same-sex couples, but not the same legal rights as straight couples.

A military coup in 2014 that ousted the elected government brought the movement to a standstill. It was another decade before Parliament approved full marriage equality, partly due to the rise of young progressive political parties championing the issue.

Their message resonated with Thais, and attitudes changed, too. By this time, same-sex marriage had been legalized in many Western countries and same-sex love had become normalized in Thai culture as well.

This was the shift in favor of the law that was passed last year by an overwhelming majority of 400 votes to just 10 votes. Even in the conservative Senate, only four opposed the law.

Now couples like Rongtiwa and Vanlieva have the opportunity to confess their love for each other, without the risk of public ridicule.

“With this law comes the legitimacy of our family,” Rungtiwa says. “We are no longer seen as outsiders just because our daughter is not being raised by heterosexual parents.”

The new law deletes gender-specific terms such as man, woman, husband and wife from the 70 sections of the Thai Civil Code covering marriage, and replaces them with neutral terms such as individual and spouse.

However, there are still dozens of laws in Thai law that have not yet become gender neutral, and there are still obstacles in the way of same-sex couples who use surrogacy to start a family.

Parents under Thai law are still defined as mother and father. The law does not yet allow people to use their preferred gender on official documents; They are still stuck in their birth gender. These are areas where activists say they still need to keep pushing for change.

However, it is a historic moment for Thailand, which is considered an anomaly in Asia in recognizing marriage equality. This is especially important for older couples, who have had to navigate shifts in situations.

“I really hope people let go of old stereotypes that gay men can't have true love,” says Chakrit “Ink” Vadhanavira.

He and his partner Brynn, both in their 40s, have been together for 24 years.

“We both have proven that we truly love each other through thick and thin for over 20 years,” Shakrit says. “Husbands.”

While Shakrit's parents quickly accepted their partnership, it took Brynn's parents seven years before they were able to do so.

The couple also wanted to share the production business they ran together, and other assets, as a married couple, so they asked Bryn's parents to officially adopt Chakrit, giving him the same last name. Breen says the new law has brought them welcome legal clarity.

“For example, right now, when a same-sex couple buys something together — a large item — they can't share ownership,” Breen said. “And if one of us dies, what we have earned together cannot pass on to the other. That's why marriage equality is so important.”

Today, Breen says, both sets of parents treat them as if they were any other married children.

When they faced relationship problems like any other couple, their parents helped them.

“My father even started reading gay magazines to understand me better. It was nice to see that.”

Additional reporting by Thaniyarat Dokson and Ren Jirinwat in Bangkok