China’s Top Court Appears to Privately Say Anti-LGBT Discrimination Is Unlawful

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A screenshot circulating on the Chinese internet appears to show China’s top court stating that discrimination and rights violations based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression are unlawful in judicial practice.The screenshot appears to show a written response from the Research Office of the Supreme People’s Court to a Chinese citizen who petitioned the court to clarify anti-discrimination principles in judicial adjudication.In our opinion, the written response appears credible, but we cannot independently confirm its authenticity at this time.Petition, known in Chinese as 信访 xinfang, is a centuries-old channel through which people in China have appealed directly to the authorities. In its modern form, it allows citizens to submit complaints, requests, or policy suggestions to state bodies, which are usually handled one-to-one and outside public view. The Communist Party of China and State organs, including the Supreme People’s Court, are generally required to register them and to inform petitioners whether and how they will be handled. However, responses to petitions are generally not regarded as legally binding decisions, nor do they in themselves constitute new legislation or policy. They are usually understood only as a summary of existing measures and a very preliminary indication of possible next steps. In other words, they may offer some insight into how the responding authority views a given issue, but should not be read as formal policy change.According to the screenshot, the petition was received on 25 March and answered on 9 May. The alleg…