By Eric Baculinao

BEIJING — China has taken a step forward to allow same-sex marriage, a move that could undo years of discrimination, delight rights activists and give new rights to the LGBTQ community "after years of hiding and struggling."

A body of the National People's Congress, the country's highest law-making institution, has publicly acknowledged petitions to legalize same-sex marriage, a rare development that has triggered a nationwide discussion of a topic that was once taboo.

Expectations are raised that the nation, which is led by the Communist Party, might eventually join the growing number of countries that have passed legislation protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.

"It felt unreal," Gao Qianhui, 21, a lesbian in Shenzhen, just across Hong Kong, said when asked about her reaction to the news from the legislative commission, to which she also wrote a petition supporting same-sex marriage. "I know it's just a proposal and it's most likely not going to be realized in the near future, but the fact this topic is now publicly and officially on the table gives the LGBT community hope for the first time after years of hiding and struggling," she told NBC News. Read more via NBC