Thailand has become the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise same-sex weddings, with LGBT groups aiming to mark the event with the registration of more than 1,000 marriages in a single day, according to Reuters.
Bangkok legalised same-sex marriage after Taipei and Kathmandu, with marriage equality law coming into effect on Thursday. More than 200 couples lined up at a Bangkok shopping centre to make their marriage vows.
LGBT groups, including Bangkok Pride, hope to reach 1,448 wedding registrations on the first day, the same number as the section number of Thailand’s civil code in which a key amendment replaced the words husband and wife with “spouse.”
One-four-four-eight symbolises the fight for marriage rights for all genders. It represents the dream and hope of building an inclusive society that accepts and celebrates love in all its forms.
Organisers also plan to submit a request to the Guinness Book of World Records to recognise Thailand as the country with the world’s highest number of same-sex marriage registrations done in a single day. The country’s wider ambitions are reflected in the opening of district offices and embassies abroad to register marriages.
Former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin marked the day of legalisation as “close to the hearts of many Thais.” However, despite the laws, other rules, such as establishing a legally recognised family, remain a challenge for some couples.
Thai law defines family by a man as a father and a woman as a mother.
