A Love Letters, Finally Read
Love, Identity, and Equality in the Voices of Thailand’s LGBTQ+ Community

As Pride Month returns this June, it brings more than celebration. It marks a historic milestone for Thailand’s LGBTQ+ community. With the legalization of marriage equality in January 2025, people of all genders can now officially marry under Thai law. To honor this progress, PAÑPURI  and EQ Archives invited nine individuals to write letters to one another. They exchanged love, perspectives, and long-held hopes in a country beginning to recognize the full spectrum of identity.

Gabjay & Net: Love in Legal Ink
Longtime partners and now soon-to-be wives, Gabjay and Net have waited years for this moment. As co-founders of creative ventures and soulmates in life, their letters radiate gratitude. For each other, for supportive families, and for finally having the right to marry.

“We’ve been lucky. Our families never judged us. Even my 100-year-old great-grandfather cried when he found out we were getting married.” – Gabjay
“I was nervous to tell my parents, but my dad said, ‘You’re scared now? I’ve always been ahead of the times.’ That unlocked everything for me.” – Net

They define love not by grand gestures but by daily presence: saying “I love you” every day, holding hands, and making time to simply be together.
Marriage equality, to them, is about protection. Not for appearances, but for those quiet, crucial moments when legal recognition allows one to speak and act on behalf of the other.

Gres & Tris: The Next Frontier of Trans Rights
For Gres, a designer and founder of a mobile cinema, and Tris, an artist with a lens for nuance, the Pride movement holds another chapter. Their focus is on securing rights and healthcare for Thailand’s trans community.

“As a child, I always prayed to wake up a boy. I didn’t know why I felt different.” – Gres
“Thailand celebrates trans women in the media. Yet hormone therapy remains marginalized. We need more than visibility. We need action.” – Tris

Their love isn’t bound by traditional narratives. It is about being seen, heard, and respected. Tris once believed she could only date men. Then she realized love doesn’t follow binary rules. Gres sees it simply. To him, love is compatibility.
Both call for freedom. Not as a right to be won, but as something that should be given. While marriage equality is a start, they hope it leads to trans-inclusive policies that are long overdue.

Jane & Q: Uniforms, Love, and Legal Ground
When Jane, a public-sector worker, and Q, a police officer, registered their marriage on the first day of the new law, they became one of the most iconic couples of the moment. Their story proves that gender has no bearing on strength, service, or love.

“Growing up, I hid behind straight relationships. Now, I feel free to be me.” – Jane
“When I realized I liked men, I didn’t have language for it. But after meeting Jane, everything clicked into place.” – Q

To them, love means everyday care. Equality means having access to the same rights as any other couple.

“We waited three years to become legally recognized. Now we share everything: a home, a future, and a name.” – Jane

Their wedding keepsakes include a beloved stuffed toy, a joint savings book, and a marriage certificate. They call it “the most important piece of paper in our life.”

Gun & Tuk: 30 Years, One Love
Gun and Tuk are legends in Thailand’s lesbian community. For over three decades, they’ve been each other’s anchor. Long before the word “wife” was legal, or even imaginable.

“Back then, I didn’t flirt with her. I just tried to stand out on the sports field and hoped she’d notice.” – Gun
“We never thought we’d last this long. But we just kept showing up for each other.” – Tuk

Their expressions of love are quiet. Cooking. Showing up. Being present. But the visibility they now have is revolutionary.
Once, they had to lie in hospitals and say they were “just friends.” Now, they dream of a beach wedding in Thai traditional dress.

Mo: A Hard Mode Life That’s Still Worth Living
Mo, a ceramic artist and furniture shop owner, compares being gay in Thailand to playing life on hard mode. Yet he insists it’s a game worth playing.

“There was a time I hated myself for not being like everyone else. But I didn’t choose this. Once I stopped blaming myself, things started to shift.”

Mo’s definition of love has evolved. In his 30s, he sees relationships like overlapping circles. Connected, but not consuming. He values work and friendship more than romance. Still, he recalls one love that left a mark deep enough to carry forever.

“In games, hard mode doesn’t mean unplayable. Thailand, for all its flaws, has been kinder to me than the West ever was.”

His father once worried about the dangers of being gay. Yet he also told him, “This is my son. I love him, and he’ll be a great leader.” That moment, shared just before his father’s passing, remains a quiet triumph of love and understanding.

Pride in Full Color
From heartfelt letters to everyday affirmations. From old loves to new beginnings. This collection of voices reminds us: Pride is not just a celebration. It is a declaration. Of love. Of truth. Of the freedom to be, fully and unapologetically.
Because in the end, equality is not radical. It is the bare minimum.

‍