BANGKOK β On the fifth floor of a large Bangkok mall, gay newlyweds milled about on a long rainbow carpet, posing for photographs while other couples still waiting to marry lined up to submit the required documents. The Marriage Equality Act, the first law of its kind in Southeast Asia, redefines marriage as a partnership between two individuals of any gender and grants same-sex couples the legal rights of traditional marriage on issues such as inheritance, adoption and medical benefits.
The couple had never considered the benefits of marriage until Hengkham was injured in a motorbike accident eight years ago. In , the couple sued for the right to marry. The provincial and constitutional courts ruled against them. Many couples attending the mass wedding said they wanted to be a part of history. For others, it was a necessary formality to ensure the legal rights of their long-term partners. Jiraphat Multakorn, 42, started planning a wedding with Pornthipha Damkaew, 28, more than a year ago in the hope that the marriage equality bill would be voted through.
The two, who have been together for six years, hosted their own ceremony on Jan. As a legal spouse, Damkaew will be able to share the welfare benefits that Multakorn receives as a military officer, and they hope it will help them get a loan to buy a home together. We cannot be erased.
It is only the third place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, behind Taiwan in and Nepal in Many activists also supported a gender recognition bill that would have allowed people to choose their legal names and titles based on gender identity instead of sex at birth. It failed last year in the legislature. Kevin Pehthai Thanomkhet, a year-old transgender man, said he often runs into issues with banks and government institutions who address him as Ms. His father β who was upset when Thanomkhet came out as a lesbian in high school, and again when he started taking hormones for his transition β attended the wedding and said he was proud of his son.
By the end of the day, at least 1, same-sex couples had registered their marriages around the country. The in Bangkok set a new Guinness World Record for the most same-sex marriages in a day in one city, surpassing the old mark of in Rio de Janeiro in Outside the Bang Rak district office, Nitchakan, 30, explained that she had just adopted the last name of her partner, Mayuree Muangjareun, The two met working in the hospitality industry.
