The Thammasat University alumni made history as Thailand embraced marriage equality with royal approval in 2024.
By Jim Luce
Bangkok — For Thai actors Porsch Apiwat and Arm Sappanyoo, their marriage was the culmination of a 16-year love story. For Thailand, it was the dawn of a new civil rights era. As the first nation in Southeast Asia to embrace marriage equality, Thailand transformed a personal vow into a national promise, with this couple’s union standing as a living testament to a historic shift.
A Royal Decree and a Personal Dream: Thailand’s Path to Equality
The legal architecture that made their marriage possible is a story of persistent advocacy culminating in constitutional process. In June 2024, the Thai Senate passed the marriage equality bill with near-unanimous support.
Following Thailand’s constitutional framework, the bill then required royal assent. In September 2024, King Maha Vajiralongkorn granted his approval, setting the law to take effect 120 days later, on January 23, 2025. This royal endorsement was the crucial final step, weaving the principle of equality into the fabric of Thai law.
The legislation amended Thailand’s Civil and Commercial Code, meticulously replacing gender-specific terms like “husband” and “wife” with gender-neutral language such as “spouse” and “marriage partner.”
This linguistic change unlocked a suite of fundamental rights for same-sex couples, including joint adoption, automatic inheritance, medical consent authority, and access to tax benefits—rights long reserved solely for heterosexual married pairs. For Porsch, 48, and Arm, 38, the law provided more than privileges; it granted their relationship a legitimacy and protection they had awaited for over a decade.
From Thammasat Halls to Public Halls: A Union Forged in Alumni Spirit
The couple’s origin story is deeply intertwined with one of Thailand’s most venerable institutions: Thammasat University. Founded in 1934, Thammasat has been the alma mater of five Thai Prime Ministers and a cradle for progressive thought, democracy, and social justice.
Porsch graduated earlier in about 1998, with Arm completing his studies later in about 2008; their shared educational background imbued them with a common ethos of service and intellectual engagement, even as their career paths initially diverged.
While both found success in Thailand’s vibrant entertainment industry—Porsch as an actor and host, Arm as an actor and model—they moved in separate professional orbits after graduation. Their reunion at a Thammasat alumni gathering in 2008 reignited a connection that would slowly blossom into a committed partnership.
Their subsequent decade-long courtship unfolded with a deliberate privacy that is characteristic of many public figures in Thailand, yet it was built on a foundation of shared values rooted in their Thammasat experience.
Cultural Pioneers in a Region of Contrasts
Thailand’s journey to this moment is unique in its regional context. The nation has long projected an image of tolerance, with a visible kathoey (transgender) community and a globally recognized LGBTQ+ tourism scene.
However, this social visibility historically lacked the bedrock of legal recognition.
The public marriage of well-known figures like Porsch and Arm accelerates the normalization of same-sex relationships, providing tangible representation in mainstream media.
Their marriage places Thailand in a small but growing Asian vanguard, alongside Taiwan and Nepal.
The contrast with its neighbors is stark: Malaysia and Indonesia criminalize same-sex relations, while Singapore only decriminalized them in 2022 without extending marriage rights. Vietnam has decriminalized but not legally recognized same-sex unions.
Thailand’s law, which applies to both Thai nationals and foreign couples, positions the country as a likely destination for marriage tourism, offering not just ceremonial beauty but full legal standing.
Economists project a significant boost, potentially adding hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars (billions of Thai baht) to the tourism sector.
The Thammasat Legacy: Educating Changemakers
The university that brought Porsch and Arm together is a character in this narrative. Thammasat University has consistently stood at the forefront of Thailand’s democratic evolution.
Its alumni network is a who’s who of Thai society—from former Prime Minister Pridi Banomyong, a founder of the university and architect of Thailand’s constitutional monarchy, to the activists, artists, and journalists who continually shape national discourse.
The university’s environment, which blends rigorous academic tradition with a commitment to human rights, provided an implicit endorsement of the couple’s eventual public advocacy. Their story exemplifies how the university’s legacy extends far beyond politics into the cultural and social fabric of the nation.
A Personal Milestone Within a Global Movement
For Porsch and Arm, the wedding was both intimately personal and broadly symbolic. Their age difference of ten years is unremarkable in any partnership, yet their story resonates because of their visibility.
By choosing to marry publicly under the new law, they became ambassadors for its real-world impact, demonstrating that the statute is not an abstract concept but a framework for real families. Their courage helps to soften societal attitudes, showing that committed, loving relationships are universal.
Their marriage arrives as advocacy continues for broader LGBTQ+ rights in Thailand, including comprehensive anti-discrimination laws and streamlined gender recognition policies. The marriage equality victory provides crucial momentum for these ongoing efforts.
For this couple, their legal union is a beginning, not an end—the start of a new chapter for their lives and for their country’s role as a beacon of progress in Southeast Asia.
Love Story in Real Life: Thai Actors Porsch Apiwat and Arm Sappanyoo (Dec. 12, 2025)
Author’s Note: This story holds a personal resonance. I, too, married a Thai national—Jonathan “Bix” Luce—in the U.S., and he is now a dual citizen. With an age difference where he is half my age, we share in the joy of this historic moment. Our goal is to celebrate our tenth anniversary by marrying again in Thailand, purely for the joy of participating in this new chapter of equality.