Thailand’s landmark marriage equality bill was officially written into law on Sept. 24, after it was endorsed by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

This Thursday, a new law will take effect in Thailand, granting LGBTQ+ couples the legal right to marry and enjoy the same legal privileges as heterosexual couples. The couple eagerly anticipates formalizing their marriage, planning to register it at their local district office on the first day the law comes into effect.

American businessman Jacob Holder met his Thai husband Surapong Koonpaew in 2021, got married in the United States two years later and then returned to Thailand, where they live and work. This week, their union will be recognised under Thai law,

It is a day many in Thailand's LGBTQ+ community have long been waiting for, as couples celebrate a law giving them the same legal rights as married heterosexuals.

Same-sex couples in Thailand are poised to celebrate a landmark achievement many decades in the making: the legal right to marry. On Thursday a marriage equality bill will become law, allowing members of the LGBTQ+ community in Thailand to get married and have the same legal rights as heterosexual couples.

LGBTQ+ couples and activists have gathered in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, to celebrate ahead of the country’s first same-sex weddings on Thursday (23 January). Last June, Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise gay marriage.