The Bangkok City Administration said it has organized workshops and lectures for all officials responsible for handling marriage registration to raise awareness and provide guidance on appropriate communication.
Robert Conner, a Thai-American public relations official based in Washington, said he hopes the law will spread awareness among neighboring countries and even inspire them to follow Thailand’s example.
“Even if these other countries don’t follow Thailand’s lead on marriage equality, they could at least consider decriminalizing same-sex sexual activities,” said Conner, 27, who was born and raised in Phuket.
There is also hope that it will benefit the tourism-dependent Thai economy, encouraging LGBT travelers from the United States and elsewhere to consider Thailand as a place to visit and even as a wedding destination.
But there is still room for improvement, Conner said, noting that changes in legal language related to marriage have not extended to family law.
“This means that in some same-sex couples, there can be situations where one parent does not have any legal protection or any legal contact with their child,” he said.
It was still a huge leap forward for couples who had been waiting for this moment for years.
“I have been counting down since the day the law was passed today,” said Bisit Siririhiroonchai, a police officer who married his partner Shanatip Siririhirunchai.
Thanomkhet, who is transgender, said he knew since he was nine years old that he wanted to become a man. He said his father discouraged him and also disapproved of Klinthorn, a single mother with an 18-year-old son.
Thanomkhit said years of election campaigning in Thailand helped change his father’s mind.
“He does not say he is happy, but we can see from his actions that he is now open to us,” he said.
Although Anticha Sangchai and Pharawan Ramuan, a gay couple, officially married on Thursday, they have considered themselves married for nearly three years since they walked together in their wedding dresses in the 2022 Pride Parade in Bangkok.
“We celebrated our couple and our marriage with our community. It was very exciting. But it wasn’t legal,” Sangchai said.
“Today is completely different,” she said, adding that she was “shocked” that the day had finally come.
It’s not just Bangkok where couples are rushing to get their marriage legally recognized.
