Sawt Falasteen - Gay Chinese couple fulfil wedding dream in 'freer' Thailand

"I thought he was handsome and pure," says Wang. "Our love has deepened over time."

Nearly three years later, the gay Chinese couple are getting married in Thailand, which became Asia's largest nation to legalise same-sex marriage earlier this year -– including for foreign couples.

They are among the first Chinese LGBTQ pairs to tie the knot in the Southeast Asian country as it celebrates its first Pride since the law's passage.

"Thailand is a freer country," said Wang after they signed their marriage certificate at a Bangkok registry office. "It's also more inclusive to our community."

He believes they are the first gay Chinese couple to host a full wedding ceremony in Thailand, but that "gradually" more will follow in their footsteps.

"I think we are unique so far... but I hope we can have a positive influence."

They enlisted the help of an agent and a consultant to organise the wedding and paperwork to finally make their dream come true.

- Bureaucratic hurdles -

Chinese authorities decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, but same-sex marriage is not legal and social stigma is widespread.

Despite a period of relative relaxation in the 2000s to mid-2010s, rights groups say recent years have seen a crackdown on the community's spaces and freedom of expression.

Real estate agent Owen Zhu has a property business in Thailand that also helps gay Chinese couples come to Thailand to get married.

Zhu, 40, said that the biggest difficulties couples like Wang and Song face are linked to paperwork, as well as prejudice.

It is difficult for Chinese LGBTQ individuals to obtain the certificate of single status required by Thailand proving that they are not married, he told AFP.

China also does not recognise same-sex marriages registered abroad.

But Zhu believes that despite China's bureaucratic hurdles, there will be a rise in the number of Chinese couples looking to wed and even live long-term in Thailand.

"There is large market demand from many Chinese same-sex couples," he says.

"Thailand is a particularly tempting place, allowing freedom to do things not possible in China, like holding hands or kissing in public with a partner. In China, they may not dare do such things."

Zhu says the simple act of signing a marriage document is deeply meaningful for his clients.

"Though this piece of paper might not be recognised in China, in their hearts, they see it as recognition and acceptance from the world," he says.

- Love ballads, vows -

More than 30 countries have legalised marriage for all since the Netherlands became the first to allow same-sex unions in 2001.

Thailand was the third place in Asia after Taiwan and Nepal.

The kingdom ranks high on recent indexes measuring public attitudes towards LGBTQ people, but matching legal structures were absent before it passed the same-sex marriage bill in a historic parliamentary vote last June.

Thousands of couples across the kingdom tied the knot in a mass wedding the day same-sex unions became legal in January this year.

Chris Yan, a legal consultant who helped Wang and Song navigate Thai administration to formalise their partnership, says the process for foreigners to register their marriage in Thailand is fairly smooth as long as they can provide the necessary documents.

"I believe it is more advanced than many other countries, since the cost in Thailand is quite low," he says.

"They can stay in the country for longer and processing the documents is quicker."

Surrounded by dozens of close friends and their ring-bearing small fluffy dog, Wang and Song sing love ballads to each other on a sandy Pattaya beach before tearfully reading their wedding vows.

They will return home to China after their honeymoon, but hope to eventually retire in Thailand.

Life is short, is the message they have for other couples like them.

Wang said: "Be with the one you want to be with."

Z.AbuSaud--SF-PST