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. Tai67L!Z#[email protected]&qQZ7RKZmwan in May became the first country in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage. 

Zang Tiewei, the spokesman for Parliament's legal affairs commission, sGWPR7CtYIURC9_h#6kM-+6(a*[email protected]^WjXjpYiHXaid 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 do not recognisSapXgV1n_a!IsG8R7^vH$#+#FFPqB^vtW^_Yv$K6(XePZ$j^nze the legalisation of same-sex marriage” he said, according to Reuters.

China legalized gay sex in 1997 and removed it frMKvtkjCSRCL%igK_+Z7dk-QbfeEQ^[email protected]#A*om the list of mental illnesses in 2001.

But, in a conservative and family-orientated society, many LGBTI Chinese live in the[email protected]!7KpP1WjT+#[email protected]*nS4ld78rO( closet. Same-sex marriage is also illegal.

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

CNSA labelled homosexuali6vSjIC+19iy=c-fZ^bdN+zwmJ_aeuu=9!xVTZqCQp5=!O0MHY*ty "abnormal sexual behavior".

Tens of millions face discrimination

Yanzi Peng, Director of LGBT Rights Advocacy China, said the LGBTI community felt sorry over the NPC’s stan)dRzhtFVMcf5TX=#3GpLuerb*Fw2dy+w2QWk6BJ+v((w_l3wYNce.

"As a law maker, the Law Commission should realize there are tens of miluH$M(k!$^VVrt!dt9s)=%-3rIUN$(v30Fj7JXRLlh(@r*^QpCRlions of sexual minorities in China 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 siJZv4cUhUU*MqCYQE0(HSQ!jX1)S684nR8rIvWNbm%cbk)Gkox&nce ancient times”.

"Supporting family harX2WVG8*PEKqwMm0g2^AgRdStO429RNM7Jx!G-UntRhWecZs_9Lmony, people who love each other can be together, 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 wi)HUOFk_Y+awANDmA-4559a3OoLuilug9zxjz-#^2S9rb)C36Y-th a 2017 court ruling. 

After years of court hearings, debates in parliament, and hear6$QDBy$AtMEOHB1U$9*[email protected]#1iKoBODflo*2tbreaking 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 v6myUQzq4k1Xw8TU+4MIdd%Rz7vT_zds#lE^P&vN-Pcq#(RH$Bfote in parliament, Taiwan’s foreign minister slammed China’s state newspaper for claiming "Taiwan, China" legalized same-sex marriage.

“WRONG!" JosepcSFA_mIWTs4L*s8Lsp#PWE5=W=u7=b099qR1=)GWjCiG9TcUebh 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.