Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Jun 02, 2025

‘Room for improvement’: China’s record on LGBTQ rights

‘Room for improvement’: China’s record on LGBTQ rights

Annual progress report on LGBTQ rights in the world notes some same-sex couples can now gain legal protection in China, but barriers to freedom of expression remain.

In China, homosexuality was decriminalised in 1997. Previously, consensual sexual acts between people of the same sex were considered “hooliganism”, with punishments ranging from imprisonment to execution. However, China still offers no protection or recognition of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, a new report says.

Although same-sex marriage is not legal, Chinese couples have found other ways to gain some legal protection, the global progress report on LGBTQ rights by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World) said.

In mid-2019, a same-sex couple married overseas became the first in Beijing to be named as each other’s “legal guardians”, a status considered fairly similar to a civil union. At least 10 other LGBTQ couples in China have gone through similar procedures in other cities including Shanghai and Chengdu.

However, the guardianship appointment process is complex and time-consuming. Couples explained to the Post previously that they had to meet lawyers several times over contract details.


LGBT party night in Beijing in September, 2018.


“China’s situation isn’t the worst in Asia, but it still has room for improvement,” Xin Ying, executive director of the Beijing LGBTQ Centre, said. “Compared with countries where being LGBTQ is still a criminal offence, in China they can live in disguise.”

She noted there had been improvements in recent year. Many companies have issued policies that respect LGBTQ employees. Two hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai also started offering medical support for the transgender community, she said.

According to the report, 81 member states – including the United States, France and Thailand – now have laws protecting against LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace, up from only 15 two decades ago.

Same-sex couples can also legally marry in 28 states and territories – one of them in Asia (Taiwan – a non-UN member which legalised same-sex marriage in 2019), 16 in Europe, and the rest spread across the other continents.

In China, it is still difficult for LGBTQ organisations to register, and there’s still censorship of LGBTQ topics, such as the removal of same-sex kissing scenes on television.

In 2015, following the removal of a gay-themed web series, the Chinese government issued rules for the production of television series that ban content that expresses or displays “abnormal sexual relations or sexual behaviour, such as homosexuality”.

China also has no laws against “conversion therapy” – the practice of using drugs or shock treatment to change an individual’s sexual orientation back to heterosexual. However, victims of the practice have won sporadic court victories.

There is no estimate of how many people in China have undergone such therapy. News reports and social media posts about individual cases appear now and then. Last week, members of the LGBTQ community alerted police to a transgender girl, “Kecheng”, whose family were forcibly sending her to a camp to “correct” her behaviour.


Patrons of Adam’s Bar, the first openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender bar in Beijing, at a memorial vigil for victims of the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.


“Furthermore, social support systems are not sensitive to LGBTQ-related issues, so when it comes to problems such as domestic violence in the community, there are still obstacles,” Xin said.

The ILGA World’s annual State-Sponsored Homophobia report says governments have used the Covid-19 epidemic to persecute an already vulnerable section of the community.

Enforced confinement at home during lockdowns to curb the spread of Covid-19 was encouraging a more “unequal and violent” world, said Julia Ehrt, director of programmes at ILGA World.

“For our communities, safe spaces shrank dramatically overnight. Some governments took advantage of these circumstances and stepped up their efforts to oppress, persecute, scapegoat, and to violently discriminate against us. In many places where laws were already a cause of inequality, things have only got worse,” Ehrt said.

The report found that in at least 42 countries – including China, Russia and Ethiopia – there are legal barriers to freedom of expression regarding LGBTQ issues. In 51 states – among them Singapore, Belarus and Fiji – laws have been passed disallowing the “formation, establishment or registration” of LGBTQ organisations.

Same-sex activity is illegal in nearly 70 countries. It is punishable by death in Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria’s 12 northern states, Saudia Arabia and Yemen. All are United Nations members.

More than 1,600 LGBTQ rights organisations from around the world contributed to ILGA World’s research and analysis of more than 3,750 external sources, including legislation, legal opinions, academic texts, news articles and activist testimonies.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
×