'Monumental step': Thai king signs same-sex marriage into law, a first in Southeast Asia
Thailand on Tuesday became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise same-sex union after King Maha Vajiralongkorn signed a historic marriage equality law.
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France24.com By: NEWS WIRES
Issued on: 24/09/2024 - 16:53 Modified: 24/09/2024 - 18:18

The Thai king has signed same-sex marriage into law, the official Royal Gazette said Tuesday, making Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to recognise marriage equality.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn gave royal assent to the new law, passed by parliament in June, which will take effect in 120 days...

Activists hailed a "monumental step" as Thailand becomes only the third place in Asia where same-sex couples can tie the knot, after Taiwan and Nepal.

The law on marriage now uses gender-neutral terms in place of "men", "women", "husbands" and "wives", and also grants adoption and inheritance rights to same-sex couples.

The king's formal approval marks the culmination of years of campaigning and thwarted attempts to pass equal marriage laws.

"The law is a monumental step towards equal rights in Thailand," Waaddao Chumaporn, an LGBTQ rights advocate, told AFP.

She plans to organise a mass wedding for more than a thousand LGBTQ couples in Bangkok on January 22, the first day the law takes effect.

"We are all delighted and excited. We've been fighting for our rights for over 10 years, and now it's finally happening," Siritata Ninlapruek, an LGBTQ activist, told AFP, her voice shaking.

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