Singapore LGBTQ community hails Thailand’s same-sex marriage law, curbs inclusivity hopes

The community says there may not be a rush among Singapore’s LGBTQ couples to register their marriage in Thailand

Singapore

Jean Iau

Published: 8:00am, 21 Jun 2024

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The news that Thailand is on the brink of legalising same-sex marriages has been met with joy by Singapore’s LGBTQ community, fuelling discussions about the city state’s civil union laws and speculation about whether couples among them would head to the kingdom to tie the knot.

One LGBTQ group spokesman in Singapore said couples from the community would not be rushing to Thailand to exchange rings.

Executive director of LGBTQ non-profit Oogachaga Leow Yangfa said: “Marriage for anyone is not an easy decision to make, and I don’t know if many people whether here in Singapore or elsewhere would make a major life decision so immediately based on a change in the law in another country.”

He added: “I am hopeful that in the long term, at least it becomes a viable option for many lesbian and gay same-sex couples from Singapore.”

On Tuesday, a bill that recognises same-sex marriage in Thailand was passed, paving the way for the country to be the first in Southeast Asia to accord marriage equality.

The Senate voted by a majority in favour of the bill, which will now go for royal assent and other formalities that can take around four months before becoming law. Thailand will then become only the third Asian jurisdiction – after Nepal and Taiwan – to allow same-sex marriages.

LGBTQ community members and same-sex couples react during an official ceremony to celebrate the Marriage Equality law at the Government House in Bangkok. Photo: EPA-EFE

A wedding in Thailand is not on the agenda for Singaporean women Lau, 31, and Ong, 25 as they will register for marriage before an officiant in the United States in July.

However, the couple – both declined to reveal their full names – will not be going to the US for their nuptials. Instead, they and 50 of their friends and family will gather in an industrial building in Tai Seng, Singapore, while the officiant in Utah marries them over a video call through a service called Courtly.

They will receive a US marriage certificate, but their marriage will not be recognised in Singapore and the couple will not enjoy the legal benefits of marriage in the city state.

“We don’t really care about the legality of it in countries like Singapore, but I think it’s really more of formalising our union and celebrating with close family and friends. I think that part is important,” Lau, a human resources director, told This Week In Asia on Thursday.

Ong, a business owner, and Lau will not be eligible for public flats, which close to four-fifths of Singapore residents live in. The couple have saved up enough to buy a condominium unit.

People attend the 2023 Pink Dot Rally in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

“Just because we’re at a disadvantage doesn’t mean we should succumb to what society tells us to do. For us, we are just excited to get married so we don’t see Singapore not recognising gay marriage as an obstacle, we see it more like how can we work around it?” Lau said.

Ong and Lau said they were pleased that Thailand could be an option as a venue for marriage registration but had planned for their big day when the news from Bangkok was announced.

Oogachaga’s Leow noted that some LGBTQ couples have only registered their marriage in countries such as Australia and New Zealand in recent years, despite the legalisation of such unions there earlier. He said: “It didn’t happen overnight.”

Clement Tan, LGBTQ non-profit Pink Dot’s spokesman, said the community in Singapore was encouraged by the milestone achieved by Thailand but noted that couples who married overseas would still be treated as singles in Singapore.

“Marriage equality in Singapore is still a faraway goal, and many couples here do not consider this a possibility for themselves,” he said.

Pink Dot’s spokesman Clement Tan at an event in Singapore on May 29. Photo: Pink Dot

Tan shared some findings from a recent survey conducted by Pink Dot and research company Milieu Insight, which found that four in 10 LGBTQ Singaporeans who wanted to relocate cited getting married or forming a family as a key reason. More of the survey’s findings will be released at the annual Pink Dot Pride rally on June 29.

Pink Dot had noticed a growing awareness of overseas marriages among LGBTQ couples in Singapore, with the push for marriage equality gathering momentum throughout Asia, Tan said.

In March this year, the Sapporo High Court in Japan ruled that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. A court in Hong Kong last October dismissed a government bid to deny same-sex married couples the right to rent and own public houses. In February 2023, a South Korean court ruled in favour of a same-sex couple seeking equal health benefits.

Tan said: “We acknowledge that there is a long road ahead of us, but we look forward to the day that Singapore can join the ranks of Thailand in a more inclusive and equal future.”