The kingdom's same-sex marriage bill was passed in a historic parliamentary vote last June, the third place in Asia to do so after Taiwan and Nepal. The law was ratified by King Maha Vajiralongkorn in September and came into effect after 120 days.

Thailand's monumental Marriage Equality Act has come into effect on Friday allowing LGBTQ couples to tie the knot. | ITV National News

But in the 2019 election which returned Thailand to civilian rule, a new, youthful reformist party called Future Forward, which fully supported equal marriage, did unexpectedly well. They won the third-largest share of seats, revealing a growing hunger for change in Thailand.

The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the third in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal

Hundreds of same-sex couples are tying the knot across Thailand on Thursday as the country becomes the first in Southeast Asia to recognize marriage equality.

Hundreds of people began registering their marriages at a mall in Bangkok, as Thailand became one of the few places in Asia to legalize same-sex unions.

Thailand on Thursday became the first country in Southeast Asia to hold legal same-sex weddings, with LGBT groups aiming to mark the occasion with more than 1,000 marriage registrations in a single day.

It's a big week for LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand. On Thursday, they will be able to legally register their marriages, making it only the third place in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, where they have such a right.

LGBTQ+ couples celebrate after they receive official marriage certificates, as the country's marriage equality bill comes into effect following a royal endorsement which effectively makes Thailand Asia's third territory to legalise same-sex unions, in Bangkok, Thailand, January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa

Thailand made history by legalizing same-sex marriage, becoming the first Southeast Asian nation and the third in Asia, following Taiwan and Nepal, to do so.

Marriage registration is customarily done at district offices, but on Thursday, around 300 couples are expected to complete the formalities at a daylong gala celebration in an exhibition hall at a shopping mall in central Bangkok.