Beijing - Limiting marriage to a
relationship between a man and a woman will remain China's legal
position, a parliament spokesman said on Wednesday, ruling out
following neighbouring Taiwan in allowing same-sex marriage,
despite pressure from activists.
Taiwan's parliament passed a bill in May that endorsed
same-sex marriage, after years of heated debate over marriage
equality that has divided the self-ruled and democratic island.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has a thriving
gay scene in major cities, but there has been little sign the
ruling Communist Party will legalise same-sex
marriage.
Asked at a news briefing whether China would legalise
same-sex marriage, Zang Tiewei, spokesman for parliament's legal
affairs commission, said Chinese law only allowed for marriage
between one man and one woman.
"This rule suits our country's national condition and
historical and cultural traditions," he said. "As far as I know,
the vast majority of countries in the world do not recognise the
legalisation of same-sex marriage."
Individual Chinese legislators have occasionally in the past
few years proposed measures during the annual meeting of the
largely rubber-stamp parliament every March to legalise same-sex
marriage, without success.
There are no laws against same-sex relations in China and
despite growing awareness of LGBT issues, the community has been
the target of censors in recent months, fuelling fears of a
growing intolerance.
Activists have asked people in China to propose amendments
to a draft civil code en masse, though they have admitted they
see little chance of success. The parts of the code relating to
marriage are expected to pass into law next year.
The code makes changes on issues such as sexual harassment,
divorce and family planning, but does not further the rights of
the LGBT community, drafts published by parliament show.
Zang said the marriage section of the draft civil code
maintains the bond as being between a man and a woman.
Prominent gay rights activist Sun Wenlin told Reuters he was
disappointed in the comments, but not surprised.
"I feel that my partner and I are sacrificing our happiness
for the country's legal system," said Sun, who three years ago
had his application to legally marry his partner rejected by a
Chinese court.
"They are undermining our life plan of choosing to marry the
person we love."
He added, "I feel I am being excluded, and am absolutely not
a consideration for policymakers."