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LGBTQ image of the week: Thai couple stands up to nation’s marriage laws

Marriage equality isn't legal in Thailand, but the couple took part in a symbolic marriage registration event on Valentine's Day.
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A Thai LGBTQ couple show their marriage certificate during the Marriage registration event hosted by the Bang Khun Thian District on Valentines Day in Bangkok. The Bang Khun Thian District Office organized a marriage registration event for LGBTQ couples, which is the first time in Thailand to promote and support equal marriage in Thailand. The marriage registration of LGBTQ couples is not yet legal as Thailand's equal marriage law has not been passed by Parliament.
BANG KHUN THIAN, BANGKOK, THAILAND - 2022/02/14: A Thai LGBTQ couple show their marriage certificate during the Marriage registration event hosted by the Bang Khun Thian District on Valentines Day in Bangkok. The Bang Khun Thian District Office organized a marriage registration event for LGBTQ couples, which is the first time in Thailand to promote and support equal marriage in Thailand. The marriage registration of LGBTQ couples is not yet legal as Thailand's equal marriage law has not been passed by Parliament. (Photo by Peerapon Boonyakiat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Photo: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett

Marriage equality has still not been made reality in Thailand, and as such, Valentine’s Day this year was filled with LGBTQ activism in the nation’s capital.

First, activists rallied in Bangkok to protest the fact that they cannot get married like everybody else. Partners Brahmasara “Fah” Viradhammajari and Titat “Peter” Kuantrakul led a demonstration while carrying a letter from their district office rejecting their application for marriage.

Related: The number of adults who identify as LGBTQ has doubled in the past 10 years

And one community took their protest even further.

It’s a popular tradition in Thailand that couples register their marriages on Valentine’s Day, and on Monday, Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian district made sure LGBTQ couples didn’t miss out.

The district issued marriage certificates to LGBTQ couples at a shopping mall event with the theme, “The Candle of Love.”

While the marriage certificates given to the LGBTQ couples were not legally binding, at least 20 took advantage of the symbolic gesture – including the fierce and joyful couple depicted in LGBTQ Nation’s photo of the week.

A Thai LGBTQ couple show their marriage certificate during the Marriage registration event hosted by the Bang Khun Thian District on Valentines Day in Bangkok. The Bang Khun Thian District Office organized a marriage registration event for LGBTQ couples, which is the first time in Thailand to promote and support equal marriage in Thailand. The marriage registration of LGBTQ couples is not yet legal as Thailand's equal marriage law has not been passed by Parliament.
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett
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