In Thailand: LGBT+ couples will be able to say “yes” to each other

The end of a long wait for some, recognition for others… Hundreds of LGBT+ couples are preparing to say “yes” in Thailand, which on Thursday will become the first country in Southeast Asia to authorize same-sex marriage. The new marriage law, adopted last year by a very large majority, no longer includes gender references and gives homosexual couples the same rights in terms of inheritance, property or adoption as heterosexual couples. L’AFP met three couples in Bangkok who are about to get married.

“It means so much to me… I have waited for this moment for more than ten years,” says Ariya Milintanapa, 41. This transgender woman, nicknamed “Jin”, met her American partner, Lee Ronald Battiata, 65, a restaurant consultant, 20 years ago on an online dating site.

The couple today shares their life with their two boys, Chene, 10 years old, from Lee’s first marriage, and Charlie, 8 years old, adopted and under the sole legal protection of Jin. Until their union, each child depended on only one parent, which could create administrative difficulties. “Marriage will allow us to share legal guardianship of our children as a family,” Jin explains.

But the new law does not recognize transgender or non-binary people the right to change their gender on their identity documents, despite the demands of the LGBT+ community. Jin admits to experiencing discrimination in everyday life. “When I go to the market, some people ask me who these children are,” she says. “But the boys know I’m their mother and it’s none of my business if the others don’t understand.”

For Karisa Loywisut, 31, and Niramon Kvunkaew, 30, respectively nicknamed “Fah” (sky in Thai) and “New”, marriage is not just a question of love: it is also the way to obtain the same rights as heterosexual couples.

The two young women, office workers, together repay the mortgage for the house they live in Bangkok. But due to lack of legal recognition of their couple, the property deed and the real estate loan are in the sole name of “Fah”. With the new law, “New” will be able to have the same rights as his partner. “Love is important, but rights are just as important,” explains Fah. “It’s good that our love is finally recognized by the State,” she continues.

After senators passed the law in June, Fah proposed to New after four years of dating. New, who grew up in a conservative family, spent years questioning his identity. Her father has long questioned the ability of LGBT+ couples to have successful marriages, but since the law was passed, his attitude has calmed, says New. “I told him that love is not correlated to gender,” she describes.

Actors Apiwat “Porsch” Apiwatsayree, 49, and Sappanyoo “Arm” Panatkool, 38, have played in several “Boys’ Love” (BL), romantic homosexual romances that are a hit in Asia. Fiction will become reality on Thursday, during their wedding in Bangkok.

The video of their marriage proposal 11 years ago went viral online. But this notoriety was accompanied by insults on the networks, recalls Arm. “At the time, society didn’t understand why two men would get down on one knee and propose to each other,” he said.

The success of Thai BL has reinforced the image of a tolerant country towards the LGBT+ community, while in Asia, around twenty countries ban and repress homosexuality, such as neighboring Burma and Malaysia. from Thailand. With the new law, the couple is optimistic for the future, although there are still fights against discrimination. “This is only the beginning of our fight,” says Arm, who is waiting for an anti-discrimination law. “We are ready to have our rights recognized, even if it is late,” he continues.

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