BANGKOK (AP) — They have been in a committed relationship for more than 13 years, and even had a wedding in 2019. Since then, Danaya Phonphayung and Sunma Piamboon, both women, have considered themselves a married couple, even if same-sex marriages were not legally recognized.
The walls of their home in suburban Bangkok are decorated with faded photos from their happy union, filled with joy and love from their families and friends. Come this Thursday, their wedded status will be recognized by the nation as well, when a law that allows members of the LGBTQ+ community in Thailand to get married and have the same legal rights as heterosexual couples takes effect.
Sunma Piamboon displays the wedding photographs with Danaya Phonphayung in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Sunma Piamboon displays the wedding photographs with Danaya Phonphayung in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Share Share Copy Link copied
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The couple said they can’t wait to formalize their union. They plan to register their marriage at a district office near their home on the very first day that the law allows.
“I think I’ll cry,” Danaya, an office worker, said with a big smile, thinking about the moment that they will sign the paper. “I’m so happy. It’s something that was more than I could’ve dreamed of, that suddenly this day is happening.”
“We live together. We bought a house. We bought a car. But we cannot share these things together like a married couple. When this is happening, we feel that it’s our rights that we need to secure as quickly as possible,” she said.
Danaya Phonphayung walks in front of her partner Sunma Piamboon next to their wedding photos at their home in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Danaya Phonphayung walks in front of her partner Sunma Piamboon next to their wedding photos at their home in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Share Share Copy Link copied
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Sunma Piamboon, left, and her partner Danaya Phonphayung prepare a document to register their marriage in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Sunma Piamboon, left, and her partner Danaya Phonphayung prepare a document to register their marriage in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Share Share Copy Link copied
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Print Read More Pieces of heart-shaped wood with messages from friends of Sunma Piamboon and Danaya Phonphayung are kept in a wooden frame in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 13, 2025. The words read
Thailand law will open up full legal, financial and medical rights for LGBTQ+ couples
