BANGKOK - 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.
Thai actors Apiwat "Porsch" Apiwatsayree -- who was in tears -- and Sappanyoo "Arm" Panatkool, in matching beige suits, were handed their pink-bordered marriage certificates at a registry office in Bangkok.
The milestone sees Thailand become by far the biggest place in Asia to recognise equal marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal.
The law on marriage now uses gender-neutral terms in place of "men", "women", "husbands" and "wives", also clearing the way for transgender people to marry, and grants adoption and inheritance rights to all married couples.
Lesbian couple Sumalee Sudsaynet, 64, and Thanaphon Chokhongsung, 59, were the first to wed at Bangrak District and the couple showed the media their engagement rings.
"We are so happy. We've been waiting for this day for 10 years," said Thanaphon, wearing a white bridal gown.
The couple met 10 years ago through a mutual friend and bonded over their passion for Buddhism and merit-making.
"The legalisation of same-sex marriage uplifts our dignity," Sumalee told AFP.
"It allows us to enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples. My emotions today are so overwhelming, I can't even put them into words."
Dozens of couples dressed in traditional and contemporary wedding outfits trickled into a large hall in a shopping centre for a mass LGBTQ wedding organised by campaign group Bangkok Pride with city authorities.
Rows of officials were at tables helping the couples fill out marriage forms, an administrative step before they could collect their certificates, with hundreds expected to do so over the course of the day.