Thai LGBTQ+ couples register marriages as law gives them equal status

BANGKOK — Hundreds of LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand made Thursday a life-changing occasion, registering their marriages legally on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples.

The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the third place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal.

By the end of Thursday some 1,832 same-sex couples had married nationwide, according to the Department of Provincial Administration. Well over 1,000 registered at district offices, while 185 couples registered their union at a daylong gala celebration at a shopping mall in central Bangkok.

The couples included actors Apiwat ''Porsch'' Apiwatsayree and Sappanyoo ''Arm'''Panatkool, who tied the knot at the Phra Nakorn district office in Bangkok.

''We can love, we love equally, legally,'' said Sappanyoo.

''And we can build our family in our own way because I believe that every kind of love, every kind of family is beautiful as it is,'' his partner Apiwat said.

They posed afterwards on a terrace at the office, smiling and waving while clutching a bouquet of flowers.

''Don't put a limit just because they are same sex or whatever they are. Love is a beautiful thing. We should not stop them,'' Pisit said.

''I want to see the same-sex marriage law available in every country where LGBTQ+ couples are,'' Chanatip chimed in.

Activists had said they hoped at least 1,448 same-sex marriages would take place nationwide Thursday, in a nod to Civil and Commercial Code's Article 1448, which they had successfully lobbied to get amended.

Thailand's marriage equality bill, which sailed through both houses of parliament, amended Article 1448 to replace the words ''man and woman'' and ''husband and wife'' with ''individuals'' and ''marriage partners.'' It is intended to grant full legal, financial and medical rights to LGBTQ+ couples.

Partners will have equal rights and responsibilities in dealing with joint assets, tax obligations and deductions, inheritance rights and survivor benefits.

Current Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra addressed the crowd by video message, declaring, ''From now on, all love will be certified by law. All couples will live with honor and dignity in Thailand."

Srettha, under whose government the ruling Pheu Thai party introduced the new law, offered a sharper and more timely comment, obviously referencing U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration speech on Monday, in which he declared it will be the official policy of his government ''that there are only two genders, male and female.''

While he did not mention Trump by name, Srettha said ''a powerful country's'' new leader ''announced clearly that there are only two genders in his country.''

Striking a comparison between that ''powerful country'' and Thailand's mid-sized population and smaller economy, he said, ''I believe our heart is bigger.''

Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity, and thousands of people from around the world attend the annual Bangkok Pride parade. But rights advocates have struggled for decades to pass a marriage equality law in a largely conservative society where members of the LGBTQ+ community say they face discrimination in everyday life, although they note that things have improved greatly in recent years.

''It's like a missing piece of the jigsaw,'' Bangkok Deputy Gov. Sanon Wangsrangboon said at one of the workshops earlier this month. ''Society is ready. The law is getting ready. But the last piece of the jigsaw is the understanding from officials.''