Thailand becomes safe haven for same-sex unions in Southeast Asia

On January 23, Thailand officially authorised marriage for all – a historic decision that made the country the first in Southeast Asia to legalise same-sex unions. Within hours of the law’s enactment, hundreds of couples said “yes” to tie the knot. Today, the kingdom is known as a safe haven for LGBTQ communities across the region where other countries such as Myanmar or Malaysia still consider same-sex relationships a crime. But despite homosexual couples’ newly acquired right to marry, not everything is rosy in the “Land of Smiles”. William de Tamaris, Mélodie Sforza and Justin McCurry report.