Thailand holds celebrations, group weddings after same-sex marriage law takes effect

BANGKOK — They waited six years to call themselves “family.”

Pehthai Thanomkhet and Nathnicha Klinthaworn finally got their wish when Thailand’s same-sex marriage law came into effect on Thursday, officially marrying in a mass ceremony in Bangkok.

Wearing a tan Thai suit, 31-year-old Thanomkhet walked into the Paragon Hall event venue, one of the largest shopping malls in the Thai capital. There, he shook hands with Klinthaworn, 39, who wore gold and white traditional Thai clothing as the couple officially tied the knot.

“I feel like it has unlocked everything,” said Thanomkhet, a human resources manager who goes by his English name Kevin.

“We can use the word ‘family’ now,” he said.

The mass wedding was organized by Naruemit Pride, a Thai human rights organization. Nearly 200 couples successfully registered their marriages during the one-day event. Working in groups of 10 at a time, the couples presented documents to officials sitting at desks, who then legally registered them as married.

The hall was dotted with arches decorated with colorful balloons and flowers, as well as the slogan “Love Wins,” which served as a photo backdrop for many newlyweds.

Like many who got married on Thursday, Tanongkai and Clintavaughan have been calling for same-sex marriage to be legally recognized in the Southeast Asian country for years.

“When the district officials signed it, I felt tears well up in my eyes. We have been fighting for two years, but others have been fighting for 20 years, and today we succeeded.

According to Thailand’s Ministry of Home Affairs, 1,832 couples nationwide registered to marry under the new law on Thursday, including 654 couples in Bangkok, 179 of whom participated in mass weddings.

While Thailand has long had a reputation for being LGBT-friendly, it has also retained conservative social values ​​and has struggled to pass legislation recognizing same-sex marriage. Thai lawmakers finally passed a marriage equality bill last year, amending the country’s civil and commercial code to replace gender-specific phrases such as “male and female” and “husband and wife” with “individuals” and “marital partners.”

The law allows LGBT couples to have the same legal and economic rights as everyone else, making Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to recognize same-sex marriage and the third in Asia after Taiwan and Nepal.

The government has embraced the change, organizing a photo session for activists and couples last week and meeting with Prime Minister Bai Dongtan Shinawatra and other senior officials.

“January 23rd is a day we all commemorate when the rainbow flag has been gracefully planted in Thailand,” Paetongtarn posted in Thai on her Instagram account last week. “All love from all people is legitimately received with respect and dignity.”

The Bangkok Metropolitan Government said it has organized workshops and lectures for all officials responsible for processing marriage registrations to raise awareness and provide guidance on proper communication.

Robert Connor, a Thai-American public relations executive based in Washington, said he hoped the law would raise awareness among neighboring countries and even inspire them to follow Thailand’s example.

“Even if other countries don’t follow Thailand’s example of marriage equality, they can at least consider decriminalizing same-sex sex,” said 27-year-old Khanna, who was born and raised in Phuket.

It is also hoped it will benefit Thailand’s tourism-reliant economy, encouraging LGBT travelers from the United States and elsewhere to consider it a tourist attraction or even a wedding destination.

But Connor said there was still room for improvement, noting that changes in legal language regarding marriage did not extend to family law.

“This means that for some same-sex couples, there may be situations where one parent has no legal protection or legal contact with their children,” he said.

It’s still a huge leap for the couple who have been waiting for this moment for years.

“I’ve been counting down the days since the law was passed today,” said police officer Pisit Sirihirunchai, who is married to his partner, Chanatip Sirihirunchai.

Thanomkhet, who is transgender, said he knew he wanted to be a man from the age of 9. He said his father dissuaded him and disapproved of Klinthaworn, a single mother of an 18-year-old son.

Tanongkai said years of campaigning in Thailand helped change his father’s mind.

“He didn’t say he was happy, but we can see from his actions that he is open to us now,” he said.

Although the lesbian couple Anticha Sangchai and Vorawan Ramwan officially married on Thursday, they have considered themselves married for nearly three years, ever since they wore wedding dresses to attend the 2022 Bangkok Pride Parade together.

“We celebrated our couple, our marriage to the community. It was very exciting. But it was illegal,” Sangchai said.

“Today is very different,” she said, adding that she was “shocked” that the day had finally arrived.

And it’s not just Bangkok where couples are scrambling to have their marriages legally recognized.

Ploy Rahong, 31, married her partner of three years, Natamon Sukjaroen, in October in front of about 300 guests in a sunset ceremony on a beach in Koh Samui, just days after Maha Vajiralongkorn passed the marriage equality bill One month after King Gong approved it and formally drafted it.

“We had wanted to get married for a while and once they approved the law, we went ahead with it,” said Conor’s cousin, Ploy.

Ploe celebrated again on Thursday at an event in Koh Samui hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and its local office to allow married couples to officially register their marriage.

“It’s like a new beginning,” she said.

Nat Sumon reported from Bangkok, Mithil Aggarwal reported from Hong Kong, and Janis Mackey Frayer reported from Beijing.

This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com