Why Thailand became a paradise for LGBT couples

“It has been a long struggle full of tears for us.”

This is how Ann “Waaddao” Chumaporn describes the years leading up to this moment: on Thursday, when same-sex marriage becomes legal in Thailand, more than a hundred couples will tie the knot in one of Bangkok’s biggest shopping malls. riot of colors and celebrations.

And the same question that has been heard throughout long campaign for marriage equality law passed will be asked again: why Thailand? Why anywhere else, aside from Taiwan and Nepal, in Asia?

People think they know the answer. Thailand is known for being open and accepting of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people. They have long been visible in all walks of life. Thai people are very easy going. “Mai pen rai” – no big deal – is the national catchphrase. Buddhist beliefs, followed by more than 90% of Thais, do not prohibit LGBT lifestyles. Surely, then, equal marriage was inevitable.

Except it wasn’t. “It wasn’t easy,” says Ms. Waaddao, who organizes the Bangkok Pride March.

The first Pride march in Thailand was held just 25 years ago. It was then difficult to get the approval of the police, and the march was a chaotic and unfair event. From 2006 only two marches were held until 2022. In 2009 a planned Pride march in Chiang Mai had to be canceled due to the threat of violence.

“We were not accepted by our families and society,” added Mrs. Waaddao. “There were times when we didn’t think marriage equality would ever happen, but we never gave up.”

Due to the general tolerance of LGBT people in Thailand, achieving equal rights, including marriage, required a determined campaign to change the attitudes of Thai officials and society. And attitudes have changed.

When Chakkrit “Ink” Vadhanavira started dating her partner in 2001, they were both actors playing leads in TV serials. At the time, Thailand’s Ministry of Health still officially described homosexuality as a mental illness.

“Back then society couldn’t accept leading male roles played by a gay man. There was a lot of gossip about us in the media, most of it false, and that really stressed us out,” recalls Mr. Chakkrit.

“Then we decided that if we were going to have a relationship with each other, we had to leave showbiz.”

They are still together, but have been out of the limelight for more than 20 years, running a successful production company.

A lot has changed in that time, and their industry gets some credit.

The way LGBT characters are portrayed in Thai TV dramas, from comedic quirks to leading roles, made a big difference, according to Tinnaphop Sinsomboonthong, an assistant professor at Thammasat University who identifies as queer.

“Nowadays we are portrayed as normal characters, like you see in real life,” he says. “The kind of LGBTQ+ coworker you might have in the office, or your LGBTQ+ neighbor. That really helped change perceptions and values ​​across generations.”

The drama called Boy Love has helped the rest of society return to the idea of ​​not only tolerance, but full acceptance and equal rights for the community.

These romantic TV dramas featuring love affairs between beautiful young people have grown in popularity tremendously in the last decade, especially during the Covid pandemic.

They are now one of Thailand’s most successful cultural exports, with large audiences in places like China. Series like My School President and Love Sick have garnered hundreds of millions of views on streaming networks.

At the same time, activists became more focused and united in their efforts to change the law. Many different LGBT groups joined the Change 1448 campaign – 1448 is the clause in the Thai Civil Code that contains the definition of marriage – and later under the Rainbow Coalition for Marriage Equality.

They connected with other groups fighting for greater rights and freedoms in Thailand, and learned to work with political parties in parliament to persuade them to change their stance on the law.

The resumption of Pride marches in 2022 and the government’s recognition and promotion of Thailand’s appeal as an attractive destination for LGBT travelers also helped change public perception.

“We didn’t fight, we negotiated,” says Mr Tinnaphop. “We knew we had to talk to Thai society, and little by little, we changed our attitude.”

Getting the marriage equality law through parliament also contributed to political developments in Thailand.

For five years after the 2014 coup, the country was ruled by a conservative military government that was only willing to consider civil partnership recognition for LGBT couples, without full rights such as inheritance.

But in the 2019 elections that returned Thailand to civilian rule, a new young reformist party called Future Forward, which fully supported same-sex marriage, did unexpectedly well. They won the largest share of third-party seats, revealing a growing appetite for change in Thailand.

A year later Future Forward disbanded A controversial court ruling sparked months of protests by students demanding sweeping reforms, including curbs on the monarchy’s power.

LGBT campaigns were prominent in these protests, giving them greater national prominence. Eventually, the protests subsided, with many leaders arrested for questioning the role of the monarchy.

But in the 2023 elections, the successor of Future Forward, calling himself Move Forward performed even better than in 2019, winning more seats than any other party. Again, it was clear that the desire for change was felt by Thais of all ages.

Move Forward was blocked from forming a government by conservatives who opposed its call for major political reforms.

But by then, equal marriage was less contentious. Few objected. And accepting it gave the inept and unpopular coalition government formed without Move Forward a quick shot at pleasing most of the country.

Thailand, however, is unusual in Asia. Few other countries in the region are likely to follow suit.

The influence of Islam makes the notion of equal marriage a non-starter in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. LGBT communities face discrimination and prosecution there; Sex between men in Brunei is punishable by death.

In the Philippines, there is a growing acceptance of LGBT couples living openly. But the Catholic Church vehemently opposes same-sex marriage.

In Vietnam, as in Thailand, there are no religious or ideological barriers, but campaigning to change the law, as happened in Thailand, is difficult in a repressive regime. The same thing happens in China. Until the communist party in power does not support same-sex marriage, because it shows no sign, it cannot happen.

Even in democracies like Japan and South Korea – where political parties are largely conservative and dominated by older men – the outlook looks bleak.

“Conservative Christians are largely blocking it,” says Chae-yoon Han, executive director of South Korea’s Beyond the Rainbow Foundation.

“Most, if not all, politicians in President Yoon’s conservative party are Christian gentlemen, and have framed marriage equality as a ‘leftist agenda’ that could open society to a ‘leftist communist takeover’.”

India appeared close to legalizing same-sex marriage in 2023 when the decision went to the Supreme Court, but the judges refusedsaying that it is up to the parliament.

So Thailand hopes to benefit from being a pioneer. Tourism is one of the few areas of Thailand’s economy in a post-pandemic recovery, and the country is seen as a safe and welcoming destination for LGBT holidaymakers.

An increasing number of same-sex couples from other Asian countries are now choosing to live here.

Thanks to the legal recognition they can get for marriage, they will be able to raise their children and grow old with almost all the rights and protections granted to heterosexual couples.