A court in central China on Wednesday
dismissed the nation's first case challenging its ban on marriage
equality.
Last summer, Sun Wenlin and Hu
Mingliang turned to the courts after they were denied a marriage
license.
The district court in Changsha accepted
their case. Lawyers for the couple argued that they should be
allowed to marry because China's marriage laws do not explicitly ban
such unions.
The court disagreed, saying that
China's Marriage Law, which took effect in 1981, specifies the
genders of couples looking to marry.
The couple said that they would appeal
the decision.
“What we want is not just a sheet of
paper or the recognition of some strangers – this is about freedom
and equality,”Sun
told CNN.
While gay and lesbian couples can marry
in 22 nations, no Asian nation is included on that list.
According to a Pew survey, a majority
(61%) of Chinese remain opposed to homosexuality, though acceptance
is increasing.
“My hope is that when people see gays
or lesbians holding hands on the street, they wouldn't see them as
freaks or curiously look back,” Sun said. “We are just as normal
as everybody else.”