NPC spokesman dismisses legalizing same-sex marriage in China

In case there was any doubt, a spokesperson for the National People’s Congress has declared that marriage equality isn’t coming to China anytime soon.
While Taiwan’s legalization of same-sex marriage in May had given some activists a bit of hope that the mainland might follow suit, Zang Tiewei, spokesperson for the legal affairs commission of China’s rubber-stamp congress, crushed these dreams at a press conference on Wednesday in Beijing.
“This rule suits our country’s national condition and historical and cultural traditions,” Reuters quotes Zang as saying about marriage being defined as between one man and one woman in Chinese law.
“As far as I know, the vast majority of countries in the world do not recognize the legalization of same-sex marriage.”
While homosexuality was removed from China’s list of mental illnesses back in 2001, the country remains far from a gay-friendly place to live. Depictions of homosexuality are banned on Chinese movies, television, and online videos and China has no legislation in place to prevent employers from discriminating against their employees based on their sexual orientation.

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