Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage on Monday, with LGBT+ groups aiming to mark the occasion with more than 1,000 same-sex weddings in a single day, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
After decades of campaigning by activists, Thailand became the third country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage after Taiwan and Nepal, with a new marriage equality law coming into force on Monday.
Rainbow flags fly outside Bangkok's parliament, with shopping malls planning events to mark the implementation of the new law.
During a mass wedding ceremony at a luxury Bangkok shopping mall over 200 couples lined up to exchange vows, some in white dresses, others in traditional Thai attire, Western suits and ceremonial police uniforms.
LGBT+ groups are hoping to reach 1,448 marriage registrations on the first day - a symbolic number that refers to the section of the Thai Civil Code where the key amendment replaced the words "husband and wife" with the words "marriage partner".
Organizers, along with related agencies, plan to collect data from ceremonies across the country and apply to Guinness World Records to recognize Thailand as the country with the highest number of same-sex marriage registrations in a single day.