Alfredo Tolentino

Thailand positioned itself as the first-ever nation in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, leading the region to recognize the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Photo Courtesy of Thailand Business News/Lillian Suwanrumpha.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn inked the marriage equality bill into law on Sept. 25, three months after their parliament passed it. 

Effective Jan. 22, the law will grant legal, financial, and medical rights to same-sex marriage partners, including adoption, inheritance, and shared management of assets and taxes.

It amended several provisions of the country's Civil and Commercial Code by replacing gendered terms like  "husbands," "wives," "men," and "women" with gender-neutral ones like "individuals" and "married couples" in defining marriage.

LGBTQIA+ activists label these changes as a “monumental step” in the progression of the minority’s rights in the country towards further acceptance and inclusion of future generations.

“[T]he passage of this bill would send a powerful message of acceptance and inclusion. (It) will foster a culture change where LGBTQ+ individuals feel accepted and supported,” Panyaphon Phiphatkhunarnon, founder of Love Foundation - a Thai non-government organization (NGO).

In another interview with a local Thai news outlet, AFP, other activists also shared their delight with the news that also marks the culmination of their long battle against political disruptions that stalled the legalization of same-sex marriage in the country.

"We are all delighted and excited. We've been fighting for our rights for over (ten) years, and now it's finally happening," Siritata Ninlapruek, LGBTQIA+ activist, stated.

With this step, LGBTQIA+ advocates across Southeast Asia are hopeful that this historical movement by Thailand can set an example for other countries in the region to follow.

"Other Asia-Pacific governments should follow (this) example of LGBT Rights progress. It will stand as an example of LGBT rights progress across the Asia-Pacific region and the world," Human Rights Watch writers Kyle Knight and Sunai Phasuk shared in an article as a response to the legalization. 

In the Philippines, same-sex marriage remains illegal and unrecognized by the law, with the most recent attempt to petition for legalization in 2018 being junked by the Supreme Court with finality two years later in 2020. 

Several lawmakers continue to file different bills and variations of the earlier junked petition in efforts to legalize same-sex marriage and protect LGBTQIA+ rights in the Philippines.