No One Is At Fault: Reconstruct Fault in Fraudulent Marriages

This article examines the current legal situation in mainland China of gays and lesbians marrying a straight spouse to conceal their sexual orientation. It takes up angles from both sides in examining the problematic consequences brought by the ‘marriage fraud’, arguing the law is unable to protect neither the unwitting spouse nor gays and lesbians. Especially through analyzing legal cases, it questions the ‘fault divorce’ norm on divorce trial, which essentially misleads both parties and the court’s judgement. The structure of the article begins by constructing the background, problem, and potential solutions for ‘marriage fraud’, then explores the current legal situation, legal reasoning, and legal cases to show that fraudulent marriages is only effective in a superficial context. It cautions that fraudulent marriages, if perceived as an attractive strategy by queer people to get away from family pressures and social prejudices, may burden queer communities with unfavorable reputations and inability to pursuit rights in marriage.