23 Dec 2019

China hints it may open the door to same-sex marriage

Beijing (Bloomberg) - China's top legislative body has been advised to legalise same-sex marriage in the updated civil code, The Global Times reported on Friday (Dec 20).

The Commission for Legislative Affairs of the National People's Congress Standing Committee has received more than 237,000 online suggestions and 5,600 letters requesting to clarify the "scope of close relatives, improving the common debt of spouses and legalising same-sex marriage", according to the report, which cited Mr Yue Zhongming, spokesman for the commission.

The report didn't specify if the legislature will include the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the civil code. The NPC will review the draft of the new civil code in March 2020, according to its website.

Several government-related Weibo accounts, including those of two district news offices in Shanghai and a court in Chengdu, posted online polls on Friday seeking public feedback on same-sex marriage.

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