Thailand Kicks off Pride Month with a Parade in Bangkok

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Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra attends the annual Pride Parade to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s Pride Month in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

By SAKCHAI LALIT

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BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand started its annual celebration Sunday for the LGBTQ+ community’s Pride Month, with its Pride Parade, the first to be held after Thailand legalized same-sex marriage earlier this year.

Participants marched with rainbow flags for hours in Bangkok. Pride Month celebrations have been endorsed by politicians including Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was attending the parade this year.

The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the third place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

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Participants hold a rainbow flag during the annual Pride Parade to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s Pride Month in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
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Participants take part in the annual Pride Parade to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s Pride Month in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
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Participants take part in the annual Pride Parade to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s Pride Month in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
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Participants hold a rainbow flag during the annual Pride Parade to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s Pride Month in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
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A participant takes part in the annual Pride Parade to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s Pride Month in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)