SHANGHAI (Reuters)-
800 people will watch Aries Liu, 32, on Wednesday. year-
Once a woman's old man married a blushing bride on a cruise ship near Shanghai, China's commercial capital.
The two are among the nine gay and transgender couples planning to board a cruise to Japan in a week.
A series of gay pride events were held in China
Same-sex marriage is illegal and homosexuality is not allowed.
The ceremony in China is important to Liu because his parents only accepted his sexual orientation last year, although he has been out of the cabinet for nearly 20 years.
"It was surprising to have my parents testify there," said Liu, who attended the ceremony on a night train from the southern province of Guangzhou.
"I have been paving the way for acceptance a little bit over the years.
Activities held shortly after the legalization of Taiwan
Same-sex marriage last month highlighted the limits of tolerance for gay rights in mainland China, although it is growing. [nL3N1J45MX]
Homosexuality is not illegal in China, although homosexuality was not considered a mental illness until 2001.
Nowadays, there are more and more homosexuality in many big cities, but gay men and women still face family pressure to get married and have children.
Despite increasing social acceptance, there is also discrimination against bisexual and transgender men and women.
Ten years ago, when most people were not familiar with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, romance took place underground because people could not openly look for a partner, Liu said.
"It's completely different now," he added.
"There are LGBT community activities in many cities.
This, however, did not free these people from government regulation, although Beijing was wobbling between indifference and intolerance.
Last month, police in the northwestern city of Xi'an briefly detained nine gay activists after trying to organize a meeting, saying the city did not welcome homosexuality. [nL3N1IX294]
Liu said that the official and Chinese mainland media have adopted a cold attitude towards the legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan, which is in sharp contrast to people's online comments.
Well, professor of law, Taiwan national political University.
"Mainland China is more cautious and it will take measures to avoid social conflicts," Liu said . ".
"I believe this is a very serious consideration for officials --stability.
Still, gay clubs and bars are often left alone. [nL3N1J31QR]
Many people waiting to board the cruise terminal hope that tolerance in China will continue to grow.
"As we now dare to take a stand and make progress, I think gay marriage will be legal in 10 years," Liu said . ".