A high-profile gay couple married in Thailand on Thursday as the kingdom's same-sex marriage law went into effect, an AFP journalist saw, among the first of hundreds expected to do so.

In the 2019 election which returned Thailand to civilian rule after five years under a military government, a new reformist party called Future Forward, which fully supported equal marriage, did unexpectedly well. They won the third-largest share of seats, revealing a growing hunger for change in Thailand.

Hundreds of same-sex couples are tying the knot across Thailand on Thursday as the country becomes the first in Southeast Asia to recognize marriage equality.

The milestone sees Thailand become by far the biggest nation in Asia to recognize equal marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal.

The landmark enactment makes Thailand the first in Southeast Asia and third in Asia (after Taiwan and Nepal) to legalize same-sex marriages.

Hundreds of people began registering their marriages at a mall in Bangkok, as Thailand became one of the few places in Asia to legalize same-sex unions.

It is a big day many in Thailand’s LGBTQ+ community have long been waiting for, as couples celebrate a law giving them the same legal rights as married heterosexuals

It's a big week for LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand. On Thursday, they will be able to legally register their marriages, making it only the third place in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, where they have such a right.