With historic marriage equality law on the horizon, even the Prime Minister joined the celebrations.
Thousands of people flocked to the streets of Thailand’s capital Bangkok on Saturday to mark Pride Month, the first to be celebrated with a sense that legal marriage equality for same-sex couples in the country is near, as lawmakers inch closer toward the expected passage of a bill that would codify marriage as between two individuals rather than a man and a woman.
The parade, with the theme “Celebration of Love” covered some 1.5 km of roads in the city’s commercial district. The Governor of Bangkok, multinational companies, and advocacy groups were among those to participate, though the rally sprung to life from concerts on trucks, strutting drag queens, and the occasional band of drummers. Some marchers carried a poster of a marriage certificate that read, “This marriage certificate shows that all genders can marry.” Others hoisted a giant rainbow flag while coursing through Bangkok’s busy roads.
Bangkok resident and parade attendee Karin Chai, 47, said this year’s event feels more serious than its previous iterations. “We have been cooperating with the Bangkok community,” Karin says. “The government sector realized that the LGBT community is also one of the communities that we should be understanding.”
Naruemit Pride—who has organized the celebrations since 2022—earlier told TIME that the focus of the event was on the passage of marriage equality, as the movement in Thailand has been ongoing for more than a decade.
