RIGHTS
When Apiwat “Porsch” Apiwatsayree proposed to his long-time partner Sappanyoo “Arm” Panatkool in 2014, he was overwhelmed with joy, but the moment quickly soured. Same-sex marriage still wouldn’t be legal for another decade and in the interim, the couple would be bombarded with online bullying.
“I must say 11 years ago, 80% of the ‘netizens’ bullied us,” says Arm. “They did not understand, they had never even seen it, a man kneeling and proposing to another man, and they bullied us but we just ignored it.”
In early January, the couple celebrated their wedding with around a thousand guests and as of January 23, they finally made their marriage official, as Thailand became the first country in South-East Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.
Arm is grateful to those who pushed for the historic legislation. “I want to say thank you for our past activists who fought for the same-sex marriage law and this equality matter,” he says. “Thank you very, very, very much for fighting for it.”
The new law grants full legal, financial and medical rights for marriage partners of any gender and makes Thailand only the third place in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, to allow same-sex marriage.
Porsch says he hopes those still fighting for equal rights would be inspired by Thailand’s experience. “We cannot force, we cannot make everyone understand us. But this act, I’m sure it will shine and give a little bit of light in the hearts of those people in those countries to keep fighting.” he notes.
One couple marrying on January 23 is 31-year-old Natnicha “Nung” Somparn and her partner Sorsomrudee “Patt” Thippayatum. They too had a wedding party in December 2023, before the bill passed the Thai House of Representatives and Senate in June 2024.
“I was so happy, I cried, I had tears coming down,” says Nung. “It was finally announced. It’s like we can look ahead further together. We can think about the future in which we grow old together, we can see a clear picture.”
One thing the couple had worried about was that without a marriage certificate, they may be unable to provide consent for medical procedures in the event of an emergency.
Patt says being able to make their marriage official was a huge relief. “We don’t have to be worried anymore,” she says. “If anything happens to us we can help each other now. We also can do future financial planning together if one dies first.”
Nung also hopes Thailand can set an example for other countries in the region. “I think our success can be a small wave to encourage other countries,” she says. Patt agrees. “In countries that are considering this law, they can look at us as an example,” she says. “If Thailand can do it, we have passed it, they can do it too.”
TOP Apiwat "Porsch" Apiwatsayree and Sappanyoo "Arm" Panatkool
ABOVE Natnicha “Nung” Somparn and her partner Sorsomrudee “Patt” Thippayatum
PHOTOS ABC News/Lauren Day
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