Phuket’s Pride activities got underway as Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin officially opened the ‘Bangkok Pride Festival 2024’ last Friday (May 31), then joined the parade through the streets of the capital last Saturday, joined by some 170,000 supporters of Pride Month under the banner ‘Celebration of Love, celebrating equal marriage’. To highlight the government’s efforts to recognise the LGBTQI+ community, official reports noted that the government is pushing for the Equal Marriage Act. The goal is to “celebrate the basic rights of all Pride people” whereby “everyone is entitled”, said one report.
The government is also to have appropriate changes made to allow the job title ‘Sex Worker’. “The government is ready to push for worldwide recognition [as LGBTQI+ friendly] by 2030,” said another report. Joining PM Srettha for the Pride Parade in Bangkok last Saturday were Minister of Tourism and Sports Sermsak Phongpanich and Paethongthan Shinawatra, Chairperson of the National Soft Power Strategy Committee.
In its “drive to make Thailand a destination for diverse groups of people from all over the world”, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has organised events across the country throughout the month of June. The TAT expects more than 860,000 people to attend the events, and generate some B10 billion for the national economy through tourism, with Phuket playing its part. PATONG Patong Municipality is holding the Phuket Pride 2024 events under.