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 Asia to recognize same-sexuCkVBckML0l=%MYoU6upvmK%4jrJ(PShDO^[email protected]#ew=RdDB marriage. 

Zang Tiewei, the spokesman for Parliament's legal affairs commission, said marriage between a man and a woman "suits our country's national condition and historical and cultu3fYHdhUhd-ZPWZ00oeHSZi2-%=_^x770Kvmn1%6LjjMA(xga#-ral traditions.”

"As far as I know, the vast majority of countries in the world do not recognise the legalisation of same-sex marriage” he -E)jj)wsgh^=&zc&e16Lnx6ykJIEaf09N3hz2w6&%1qW)JQiQssaid, according to Reuters.

China legalized gay sexl$m*4i3ejJgfV5ii6g3%[email protected]_nDPx_IFjJgc(nJBNa^( 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-E22xI18DT4+6lI3pg6mJf6G9Lm55Fwz%CfowbI*N0*Gu1URsM=sex marriage is also illegal.

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

CNSA laVnWgoRZ(8hhMro!wdr+*y^yKfpja2*J)tTaXjS$5yGTgbsNDs)belled homosexuality "abnormal sexual behavior".

Tens of millions face discrimination

Yanzi Peng, Director of LGBT Rights Advocacy ChinaNM$TZ1Ayxoh([email protected](ez5X%Olx, 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_#lkULz_!!RQa#qB9*eRqP$^RR9=*Y_pCXmk(PZVp9#sIqjsV) who are discriminated against and treated differently because they do not have equal marriage guarantees.”

"China has had many wonderful stories of same-sex cow6rHhXswE%F#0BLb56X([email protected])F)rcB1OgjaZz%o^=TOUuples since ancient times”.

"Supporting family harmony, people who love each other can be togeth6C*yYCcXTXbjL_JpJ(%403(b6Z=lLSq3K$-!G0eYe-30TBdnSCer, 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 2017 court ruling2f3Jlm^P9=M^Yh1AUfKPbeU9)&AHK87p%aZRrsw-SoctS=(x^1. 

After years of court hearings, debates in parliame*aGlk!6NDUufArIA&5$Qco!&+-uHxQw+oMtg20$67x6qil1g&tnt, and 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 state newspaper for claiming "Taiwan, CdwHl9$%ON7A_lCg2fXo%_W_6#-xa7VgSQ-&g31Q0_cnO5mqK8hhina" legalized same-sex marriage.

“WRONG!" Joseph Wu said, IX%Q*$-st5bWY*FYn3QLO0zHhLgdtH=ZGMB0dWTOu^gFiNTt+(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.
 

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