Thai king signs same-sex marriage bill into law

Thailand's king, Maha Vajiralongkorn has signed a marriage equality bill into law, making the country the first in South East Asia to recognise same-sex unions.

The bill cleared the Senate in June but required royal endorsement to become law. It was published in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday and will come into effect on 22 January next year.

Activists hailed the move as historic - it marks the culmination of years of campaigning for marriage equality.

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Thailand has long been seen as a relative haven for the LGBTQ+ community in a region where such attitudes are rare.

The new law uses gender-neutral terms in place of "husbands", "wives", "men" and "women". And it grants same-sex couples adoption and inheritance rights.

“Today we’re not only getting to write our names in marriage certificates, but we are also writing a page in history... that tells us that love never set a condition of who we were born to be," Ann Chumaporn, a longtime LGBTQ+ activist and co-founder of the Bangkok Pride movement, told the BBC.

"It’s a triumph of equality and human dignity."

She said she plans to organise a mass wedding for more than 1,000 LGBTQ+ couples on 22 January.

"[The legal recognition] means we are fully accepted and can live our lives without conditions or compromises," said advertising strategist Kwankaow Koosakulnirund.

"Thailand’s LGBTQ+ community can now look toward a future beyond relationships, embracing the sense of pride that this law brings," he said.

"We are all delighted and excited. We've been fighting for our rights for over 10 years, and now it's finally happening," another activist, Siritata Ninlapruek, told AFP news agency.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted on X: "Congratulations on everyone's love. #LoveWins."