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.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United...
US actress Meryl Streep attends an event on 'The Inclusion of Women in the Future of Afghanistan' on the sidelines of...
Bangladesh's Chief of Army Staff General Waker-uz-Zaman gestures during an interview with Reuters at his office in the...
A courtroom sketch of Dominique Pelicot, who allegedly drugged and raped his then-wife, Gisèle Pelicot. —...
Tanzanian police officers patrol the streets ahead of a demonstration over the alleged kidnapping and killing of...
US actor Brad Pitt arrives for the premiere of Apple's "Wolf" at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on...