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 iymQTwRb*1Qp_lfzGSeDvJc(UXuq_bu^881ZdUgTKlgqtb*dD(May became the first country in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage. 

Zang Tiewei, the spokesman for Parlia!qLDD^Wn!gpXg%x_Zzr$gi37XzNJ-pgjT%1jD*cHEivq(DSar=ment'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 majority of countries in the world d5O6g5^92_mJ61XbGiDKZN0-LkYwK5f*t6C4d&g-u_ipR6Kn*9ao not recognise the legalisation of same-sex marriage” he said, according to Reuters.

China legalizq#@memE#3ou&yn)[email protected]+J^dK^As^9H7*NZXaed gay sex in 1997 and removed it from the list of mental illnesses in 2001.

But, in a conservative and family-orientated society, many LGBTI Chinese live in the closet. Same-sex marriage i5hKqmU(3Dae*L=tCiKDi3-l^vK$*&WWSTVmQqf1grrjfs7yWXOs also illegal.

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

CNSA labelled homosexuality "abnormal sex^zJ56U^[email protected]=hg4A([email protected]^6kGual behavior".

Tens of millions face discrimination

Yanzi Peng, Director of LGBT Rights Advocacy China, said the LGBTI community felt sorry over the NPCV#[email protected]#j&uYV1j_4ilYfvpxSOlD5(*W$(+’s stance.

"As a law maker, the Law Commission should realize there are tens of millions of sexual minorities in C[email protected]%)y(F8aV!egMtm$Sj%[email protected]+lBVTEpLhONnTp-ehina who are discriminated against and treated differently because they do not have equal marriage guarantees.”

"China has had many wonderful stories of same-sex couples since an!0X1pS^!^qLaq^6vCwvEJvAHiwUZn+UKdI(ZL9Vsx#JcIR&2#Fcient times”.

"Supporting family harmony, people who love each other can be togetUY#MEBHqh3PMu8jG3FNOCD79$H2k84QsmBB3*ry^z*IpZj)Honher, this is the traditional value of China."

First in Asia

Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage on 24 May after parliament passed a bill in line with a 2017X6o&wNOmvD3uPCL+BEl5=a-2gMyFoZMko7aP5T7q2FiIdfJ$O+ court ruling. 

After years of court hearings, debates in parliament, aypvr3NU!EH1*^1W2=ACkG#mtnWs51T=TT$eS&dHOhnYx=ke3*Jnd heartbreaking referendums in November last year, more than 1,000 couples got married in the first month of same-sex marriage alone.

Just after the landmark vote in parliament, Taiwan’s foreign minister slammed China’s 6j3NqnIb_=FSGmMmWiQ0T-gH%q4w1kqGz7+#gd%[email protected]%state newspaper for claiming "Taiwan, China" legalized same-sex marriage.

“WRONG!" Josw%wQ$c)Uo966%%[email protected]&v*ZfRtNbHS*zVs-cqHex7aCeph 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.