The China Daily asks Can homosexual adopt children in China?

Legally, the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China recognizes only families formed by marriage of opposite sex and does not recognize the legality of homosexual families, and the homosexual families are, therefore, not protected by laws.

From the Chinese medical point of view, the China Mental Disorder Classification and Diagnosis Standard classifies homosexuality as sexual obstruction, belonging to psychiatric disease of the kind of sexual psychological barrier.

In terms of the Chinese traditional ethics and customs and habits, homosexuality is an act violating public morality and therefore not recognized by the society. In accordance with the principle that adoption shall not violate social ethics as set forth in the Adoption Law, foreign homosexuals are not allowed to adopt children in China.

Reader Shaan sent this item in, asking if China had not declassified homosexuality as a psychological disorder. Homosexuality was decriminalized in China a few years ago; do any Danwei readers know about the current status of homsexuality as a "psychiatric disease"?

A search of China Daily's website for 'homosexuality' (unlinkable) reveals a plethora of divergent viewpoints on the subject, including the following one:

Rule goes easy on first-time prostitutes

Those who offer sexual service for money due to severe poverty and are caught for the first time will receive a lenient punishment, police in eastern China's Jiangsu Province Thursday said.

Those who offer oral sex and masturbation for a sex client and are caught for the first time will also be lightly punished, they said.

They will be detained for less than five days, and fined less than 500 yuan, according to the police.

Also, in a new regulation published Thursday, Jiangsu authorities have clarified that commercial gay sex will be treated as prostitution...