Chinese Parents Petition Congress For Same-Sex Marriage Legislation

CHINA DAILY, SOUTHERN METROPOLIS DAILY (China)

GUANGZHOU – An organization of parents of gay and lesbians in China has sent an open letter to China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), demanding the legalization of same-sex marriage, according to the Southern Metropolis Daily.

“Some of our children have been living with their partners for nearly 10 years. They love each other, but they cannot sign their names legally when their partners need an operation,” said the letter written by PFLAG China (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays of China), a Guangzhou-based organization that promotes LGBT rights and supports gay parents.

The letter underlines the problems that gay couples in China are facing, such as adoption, inheritance and purchasing properties. It also calls for an early amendment of the Marriage Law to include the right of gay marriage.

“We strongly request that National People's Congress delegates and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference committee members give their attention to this matter... so that China’s 60 million homosexual citizens can have an equal right to marry,” concludes the letter.

In China, one of the only ways to protest legally is to write a petition or a letter of complaint to the State Bureau for Letters and Calls and wait for a response. According to China Daily, between 2003 and 2007 over 10 million petitions were handled annually.

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