June is Pride Month. This year’s Pride Month has been truly special for Thailand as the same-sex marriage bill was scheduled for review, followed by a final senatorial vote on the same-sex marriage bill. The vote took place on June 18 and was overwhelmingly passed by the Senate.
Ahead of the votes, and because it was a landmark moment for LGBTQ+ rights, GREYnJ United and Bar B Q Plaza, a Thai self-cooking barbeque restaurant, wanted to show their support and celebrate the importance of the moment.
Their Pre-Wedding Campaign allowed any couple who wished to support the same-sex marriage bill to voluntarily sign an individual marriage certificate from Bar B Q Plaza to support all forms of love.
The consent certificate included the statement, “Bar B Q Plaza designed the marriage certificate to confirm our belief that love should not discriminate against a person based on their gender or any other status.
“Love is a powerful force. When two people choose to love, they are entitled to take care of each other and build a strong family. This is simply because love is a human right everyone deserves to enjoy equally.
“We always believed that this judicial recognition should soon become true. If you believe it too, we want your voice and support for the legalisation of the same-sex marriage bill to promote equity in love.”
The certificate’s art nouveau design incorporated the curves of plants and flowers. The variety of flowers illustrates the diversity and inclusivity of love. In addition, the conch shell, shankha, symbolises divine connection.
Sompat Trisadikun, CCO of GREYnJ United, added, “The pre-wedding campaign reflects the brand’s belief in supporting all forms of familyhood, whether heterosexual or same-sex partnerships. Making real change in public policy aligns with the true spirit of Pride Month, which brings equality for all.”
Rath Takulthai, chief marketing officer at Food Passion Co., the operator of Bar B Q Plaza, stated, “Back in 2015, our restaurant business was rooted in the love of cooking by the founder’s family who served high-quality food products with a joyful experience. Since then, our intention has expanded, and we now continue to feed bigger families across the nation to ‘make everyone happier’. For this historic step, Bar B Q Plaza wanted to join the LGBTQ+ community in pushing through the legislation to foster love and familyhood as we firmly believe in equality for all. Everyone can love and be loved with no discrimination and boundaries.”
The campaign received positive feedback on social media with high engagement by the public through comments and shares. In addition, nearly 100 same-sex and heterosexual couples attended the campaign activation and signed the certificate.
