China's leadership will not allow same-sex marriage

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 iUetvAaFp$V7)zfqO!R$hDMTog#)iPV@)UFDJO-aLkoxERUtaxqn Asia to recognize same-sex marriage. 

Zang Tiewei, the spokesman for Parliament's legaB3n-wE^sT9Pz@=ilTOQHXAfa%(y_%#xtoAuJMg-MBf8eUCMPR0l affairs commission, said marriage between a man and a woman "suits our country's national condition and historical and cultural traditions.”

"As)b_9GnnR$ua4vWOVE0UNxk2^hf+l_B_=_DMrFi(XxzHiDiYjr_ far as I know, the vast majority 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 from the list of mentaQlXvtdm+H13YJ0(e=wSM^$m#gX@_N&&U=xq4Af8(UBVx5zPk)ul illnesses in 2001.

But, in a conservative and family-orientated society, many LGBTI Chinese live in the closet. Same-sex m_Z=m@QMIPK)xd+cK_nWHt#HFYkmw_=A_kr(NB4ozrQKZD8eqeKarriage is also illegal.

China’s Netcasting Service Association (CNSA) officially banned LGBT content from China’s internet in June 2017.

CNSA labelledWfN&oN@EShW=REzWIw!0trG6SKVIx6rUC!ll2to#_Z79I+N5m+ homosexuality "abnormal sexual behavior".

Tens of millions face discrimination

Yanzi Peng, Director of LGBT Rights Advocacy China, said the LGBTI communi+65fme)y#dM^bxy4$#Ies8E3QKSaF#%cuczV#TKS2ef@@GxqNyty felt sorry over the NPC’s stance.

"As a law maker, the Law Commission should realize there are tens of millionqm*7eXHjtK(zY#GgSxa^Hh=83CbwC$0LT&=tf@8nV(2@ym-j&Bs of sexual minorities in China who are discriminated against and treated differently because they do not have equal marriage guarantees.”

"China has heQwYY$X4u%Qs%^0Y_G!1J21xGO28Krd%SGDUVXfv11sbhGS8Fyad many wonderful stories of same-sex couples since ancient times”.

"Supporting family harmony, people who love each other can be together, this is the traditional-pJhe3Xfz$KIkFs%72fE3ZITlpUxl-dn@!+aM!&T^Dao2c5peB value of China."

First in Asia

Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage on 24 May after parliament Fo(iWXEXL3q^(k%(vlV==I3RCBxsK*!Pdg$8-c_z4_Xv%7s9Tnpassed 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 rCoTa_f=yy66P9$J_s6rF$VpOEr==-Dx3abN0*on-g#$*M$=o&month of same-sex marriage alone.

Just after the landmark vote in parliament, Taiwan’s foreign minis^-d3b#5x0bLg61#+KQ)BLu_xOWDOlacICADqaRJw(ZyIID)wJIter slammed China’s state newspaper for claiming "Taiwan, China" legalized same-sex marriage.

“WRQz0%E%RBor=LLQ&SWGxE&X$)QiL*Lyt=7K&P6*LfTa)M0Ga$dMONG!" Joseph Wu said, sharing the People’s Daily tweet.

"‘Democratic Taiwan is a country in itself & has nothing to do with authoritarian China” Wu said in his tweet.