BANGKOK - The Thai king has signed same-sex marriage into law, the official Royal Gazette announced on Tuesday, making Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the biggest place in Asia to recognise marriage equality.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn gave royal assent to the new law, passed by parliament in June, which will take effect in 120 days -- meaning the first weddings are expected to take place in January.
Thailand becomes only the third place in Asia where same-sex couples can tie the knot, after Taiwan and Nepal.
The law on marriage now uses gender-neutral terms in place of "men", "women", "husbands" and "wives", and also grants adoption and inheritance rights to same-sex couples.
The king's formal approval marks the culmination of years of campaigning and thwarted attempts to pass equal marriage laws.
Thailand has long had an international reputation for tolerance of the LGBTQ community, and opinion polls reported in local media have shown overwhelming public support for equal marriage.
However, much of the Buddhist-majority kingdom still retains traditional and conservative values and LGBTQ people say they still face barriers and discrimination in everyday life.
More than 30 countries around the world have legalised marriage for all since the Netherlands became the first to celebrate same-sex unions in 2001.
India's highest court deferred a decision on the matter to parliament last year and Hong Kong's top court stopped just short of granting full marriage rights.
Long struggle
Thai activists have been pushing for same-sex marriage rights for more than a decade but, in a country where politics is regularly upended by coups and mass street protests, their advocacy did not get far.
LGBTQ activists staged a drag show in Bangkok on Friday to celebrate progress and show their enthusiasm for the law to come into effect.
Apiwat Apiwatsayree, a well-known figure in Thailand's LGBTQ community, and his partner Sappanyoo Panatkool, who have been together for 17 years, are among those who have been waiting for the law to pass so they can finally marry.
"We've been waiting for a long time," Apiwat, 49, told AFP on Friday.
"As soon as it becomes law, we will go register our marriage."
The legislation was pushed through parliament by former prime minister Srettha Thavisin, who was vocal in his support for the LGBTQ community.
He made marriage equality a signature issue and told reporters last year that he believed the change would strengthen family structures.
Srettha was kicked out of office by a court order in an ethics case in August, to be replaced by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of controversial ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. - AFP