- Homosexuality
- ⚢✔ Legal
- Gay Marriage
- ⚭✖ Civil unions (limited rights)
- Censorship
- ✖ State-enforced
- Changing Gender
- ✖ Legal, but requires surgery
- Gender-Affirming Care
- ✔ Legal
- Non-Binary Gender Recognition
- ✖ Not legally recognized
- Discrimination
- ✖ No protections
- Employment Discrimination
- ✖ No protections
- Housing Discrimination
- ✖ No protections
- Adoption
- ✖ Single only
- Intersex Infant Surgery
- Ambiguous
- Military
- Ambiguous
- Donating Blood
- ✖ Banned (indefinite deferral)
- Conversion Therapy
- ✖ Not banned
- Age of Consent
- ✔ Equal
Public Opinion
Recent surveys in China indicate a moderate level of acceptance for LGBTQ+ rights in specific areas.
I believe that everyone, including members of [the LGBTQ], should be treated fairly in the workplace
I believe that schools should protect all students, including those from [the LGBTQ], from bullying and violence
I don’t mind seeing content related to [the LGBTQ] in media reports, movies, or social media
In line with the values of justice and equality, I welcome companies to promote the acceptance of [the LGBTQ]
Perception of LGBTQ+ People
Survey results from 14 LGBTQ+ Equaldex users who lived in or visited China.
Overall
Perceived Safety**Survey results represent personal perceptions of safety and may not be indicative of current actual conditions.
Equal Treatment
Visibility & Representation
Culture
Services
History
Homosexual activity in China is legal.
Same-sex marriage in China is civil unions (limited rights).
Additionally, Beijing provides dependent residency status to foreign same-sex couples since the 1st of July 2013.
In Hong Kong, several court decisions and most notably court case Leung Chun Kwong v Secretary for the Civil Service granted same-sex couples limited rights and benefits in the realm of immigration, tax rights and inheritance.
Censorship of LGBT issues in China is state-enforced.
A Chinese broadcaster, Mango TV, which broadcasts Eurovision blurred a rainbow flag during the semi-final of the show.
In April of 2022, a few lines of dialog were removed from the Chinese release of the film 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.' The dialog referenced the gay romance between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald.
In August of 2023, Chinese officials removed an LGBTQ song from the set list of popular Taiwanese pop star A-Mei, ahead of her concert in Beijing. Security guards at the event forced fans to remove rainbow symbols and clothing. On the 22nd of August, Chinese officials shut down a handful of popular social media accounts on the Chinese social networking service WeChat.
Right to change legal gender in China is legal, but requires surgery.
Gender-affirming care in China is legal.
Legal recognition of non-binary gender in China is not legally recognized.
LGBT discrimination in China is no protections.
LGBT employment discrimination in China is no protections.
LGBT housing discrimination in China is no protections.
Same-sex adoption in China is single only.
Intersex infant surgery in China is ambiguous.
Serving openly in military in China is ambiguous.
Transgender people are banned from serving in the Chinese military.
Blood donations by MSMs in China is banned (indefinite deferral).
Conversion therapy in China is not banned.
Equal age of consent in China is equal.
LGBT Rights by Province
View the LGBT laws in each individual province of China.
- Guangxi (Autonomous Region)
- Nei Mongol (Autonomous Region)
- Ningxia (Autonomous Region)
- Tibet (Autonomous Region)
- Xinjiang (Autonomous Region)
- Beijing (Municipality)
- Chongqing (Municipality)
- Shanghai (Municipality)
- Tianjin (Municipality)
- Aomen (Special Administrative Region)