China will not be following in the footsteps of Taiwan.
Earlier this year, Taiwan became the first Asian country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage. However, China has confirmed that it won’t be following in its footsteps.
Reuters reports that when asked at a news briefing, Zang Tiewei, the country’s spokesman for parliament’s legal affairs, said the current rule “suits our country’s national condition and historical and cultural traditions.”
Tiewei added: “As far as I know, the vast majority of countries in the world do not recognize the legalisation of same-sex marriage.”
Sun Wenlin, a prominent gays rights activist in the country, expressed his disappointment, saying: “I feel that my partner and I are sacrificing our happiness for the country’s legal system. They are undermining our life plan of choosing to marry the person we love.
“I feel I am being excluded, and am absolutely not a consideration for policymakers.”
Although homosexuality is legal in China, the country has taken great steps to try and censor mentions of it within the media.
The country has banned gay characters from appearing in television shows, and in 2017 announced plans to ban mentions of homosexuality on the internet. It has also cut a gay kiss from Alien: Covenant and Mango TV was banned from airing Eurovision after it cut Ireland’s performance from 2018’s Eurovision semi-finals because of two same-sex dancers.
Earlier this year Taiwan legalised same-sex marriage. “Good morning #Taiwan. Today, we have a chance to make history & show the world that progressive values can take root in an East Asian society,” Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen tweeted ahead of the vote.
And with that, history was made shortly after, with LGBTQ people all over Taiwan celebrating the result. More than 40,000 people took to the street in Taipei on Friday to show support for the new legislation.
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