But in the 2019 election which returned Thailand to civilian rule, a new, youthful reformist party called Future Forward, which fully supported equal marriage, did unexpectedly well. They won the third-largest share of seats, revealing a growing hunger for change in Thailand.

Almost 2,000 same-sex and transgender couples married in Thailand on Thursday as the kingdom's equal marriage law went into effect in a first for Southeast Asia. The milestone sees Thailand become by far the biggest nation in Asia to recognise equal marriage,