Thirty Years of Love in Bloom: The Story of ‘Poo Kanjan and Yah Took’, a Couple of More Than 30 Years Who Placed Love of All Genders on the WorldPride 2030 Stage
- Grandpa Gun - Grandma TookGun Kerdmeemool and Pokchakorn WongsupaLGBTQ+ Couple, Marriage Equality Advocates
- Kan Kerdmeemool and Pokchakorn Took Wongsupha, a couple from the LGBTQ+ community who have shared their lives for more than 30 years
- By stepping forward publicly as an older couple from the LGBTQ+ community, on social media and in the Bangkok Pride parade year after year, they have become a symbol that love between people of any gender can be warm, steady, and lasting.
- Although they have already prepared for the final chapter of life through a “Samud Bao Jai” (living will), both fully support the Marriage Equality Act as a guarantee of basic rights for younger generations.
- Understanding and support from their family was the foundation that carried them through an era when Thai society still stereotyped and stigmatized gender diversity.
- They believe Thailand is ready to host WorldPride 2030, and they advocate for spaces and communities designed specifically for LGBTQ+ elders.
The more than three decades that Kanjan Kerdmeemool, 74, and Pokchakorn “Took” Wongsupha have spent together stand as one of the most powerful reflections of Thailand’s movement for marriage equality. By stepping forward publicly as an older couple from the LGBTQ+ community — widely known as “Poo Kanjan and Yah Took” — on social media and in the Bangkok Pride parade year after year, they have become a living affirmation that gender diversity is not something alien, and that love between people of any gender can build a life together that is smooth, warm, and steady over the long run.
Today, both have moved past the years of building a life and have already prepared for its final chapter through a “Samud Bao Jai” (a living will). Even so, they celebrate and fully support the Marriage Equality Act as a guarantee of basic rights for younger generations, who need legal protection to build families of their own.
Looking back three decades, Thai society understood very little about gender diversity. People whose gender identity did not match the sex they were assigned at birth were often stereotyped and labelled with harsh words, and introducing a partner to the public — or even to one’s own family — was extraordinarily difficult. What carried the couple through those challenges was understanding and support from their family: the foundation that allows children and grandchildren to grow up on a path they choose for themselves, rather than being confined by the old belief that marriage according to the sex assigned at birth is the only route to happiness.
The couple also believes Thailand is more than ready to host a global event like WorldPride 2030, given its resources, culture, the warmth and hospitality of its people, and its openness to visitors from every corner of the world — alongside being the first country in Southeast Asia to pass marriage equality legislation. Beyond the enormous economic benefits, hosting would open space for everyone to express their identity freely and safely.
Another issue they advocate for is the creation of spaces and communities designed specifically for LGBTQ+ elders — to ease the loneliness that comes when an older person loses a life partner, and to encourage open conversations about preparing for the end of life, such as the exchanges they joined at Death Fest. Their message reaches people of every age, and especially older people: be honest about what you feel inside, unlock your fears, and live as yourself with happiness and dignity.
Kanjan Kerdmeemool, 74, and Pokchakorn “Took” Wongsupha are a couple from the LGBTQ+ community who have shared their lives for more than 30 years. Widely known as “Poo Kanjan and Yah Took”, they take part in the Bangkok Pride parade and speak publicly about love among LGBTQ+ elders, preparing for the final chapter of life, and support for marriage equality and Thailand’s bid to host WorldPride 2030.