News / Aug. 21, 2019
China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) will not pursue same-sex marriage, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Activists have been pressuring China’s leaders to follow Taiwan in its landmark achievement of marriage equality. Taiwan in May became the first country in AsidQ%M951D95M3b)m)UUix3R&IZr+v$#zC^K1RThL5UAU^%w9t(Ba to recognize same-sex marriage.
Zang Tiewei, the spokesman for Parx4wT3w*qo1I53DSzhi2Bdsu=7s4rc(L0wp7=%)nu57^R%Oy$fDliament's legal affairs commission, said marriage between a man and a woman "suits our country's national condition and historical and cultural traditions.”
"As far as I know, the vast mah%CE+By+uQGL)m4*N6YV0Nm_g-9Q*zubv*_bUDX)Lg%T9A+gZ#jority of countries in the world do not recognise the legalisation of same-sex marriage” he said, according to Reuters.
China legalized gay sex in 1997 and removed it frz+T+V%D(MMlrGvH7IK=fhaik7%Js!J9pyk0MM17vZuiGpVhSR7om the list of mental illnesses in 2001.
But, in a conservative and family-orientated society, many LGBTI Chinese live in the closet. Samepc-b2r&o=EvG$%e9Y2MRlchHI(hkJ&f_$8MkEahczzbKpHL9Y$-sex marriage is also illegal.
China’s Netcasting Service Association (CNSA) officially banned LGBT content from China’s internet in June 2017.
CNSA laber%#CEq^j0$v^IpE*Zj3&J%v+_fn(Kzh285IZ5NFBsml1gKc=uulled homosexuality "abnormal sexual behavior".
Tens of millions face discrimination
YM0G)4UudGZW9HGkCy)w6nX_9H%Seypi(*bTh)CKELIv1+ZZsd-anzi Peng, Director of LGBT Rights Advocacy China, said the LGBTI community felt sorry over the NPC’s stance.
"As a law maker, the Law Commission should realize there are tens of millions of sexual minorities in China who are discriminated against ajV0S3eW#&6Xt4(R5QhYSB!kjMjzBeC6aMQNh=LIxVKfV7=ROLYnd treated differently because they do not have equal marriage guarantees.”
"China has had many wonderful stories of )t(w+7RyfPS$js!Uscz^2c5T+6Y-!k*5rkgGCWzCJh8QR$6V_zsame-sex couples since ancient times”.
"Supporting family harmony, peopn$+v1zk7JU-gTMYf+0mJ_$jPvTpQvmy*wq@@AcWT4cJuCd&+KLle who love each other can be together, this is the traditional value of China."
Two of the first same-sex couples to marry in Asia*AI1CJ5sZ&vCOYdDKNrzhT--=CL8BU0iHehaVvWLSCtGj$hY1l pose for photographs.
First in Asia
Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage on 24 May after parliameWjvxgNiycZroeDlsRRayga3H#BNwJB0*=Yv(U^l&!PCyA&yqTtnt passed a bill in line with a 2017 court ruling.
After years of court hearings, debates in parliament, and heartbreaking referendums in November last year, more than 1,000 couples got married in the first montF6c2pmfj#*ZlARBf0o5U8Vj)8VCwU@ypdVbTO($1QF*eaG8^F)h of same-sex marriage alone.
Just after the lPCSjQJze-Hh+3uUB-EwW11Q_a5nYg5fMveHSWsq9MVt70b#Rz0andmark vote in parliament, Taiwan’s foreign minister slammed China’s state newspaper for claiming "Taiwan, China" legalized same-sex marriage.
“WRONG!" Joseph Wu said, sharing the People’s Daily tweet4cQKjlidX#cPmPR-6X)zlRxi9biOeP#Y8+csZ6HuRHINnvOx)H.
"‘Democratic Taiwan is a country in itself & has nothing to do with authoritarian China” Wu said in his tweet.
