Court rules against homosexuals seeking permission to get married
Print Edition
IN the first case of its kind in China, a court has ruled against a gay couple’s request for permission to be married.
The couple went to court after their application was turned down by the local civil affairs bureau.
The litigant, Sun Wenlin, attended a hearing at Furong District People’s Court in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, yesterday morning.
The 27-year-old sued Furong District Civil Affairs Bureau for violating his rights, after it refused to allow him to marry his 37-year-old partner, Hu Mingliang, last June.
The court later agreed to hear their case. However, it dismissed it after just three hours.
Sun said he would not give up.
“I’m disappointed with the verdict,” he told Shanghai Daily. “I was hopeful when I went to court today, but I soon had a feeling that the outcome had already been decided before it started.”
Sun said he and Hu applied to be married at the civil affairs bureau on June 23, 2015, but were told by staff that only a man and a woman could get married.
The couple received a letter from the local court on January 6 saying that their case would be heard. Sun said his marriage request has been supported by his family and friends, but he wants official recognition of his partnership.
“It will affect personal benefits in the future like social security,” he said. “The lack of a certificate makes me feel insecure.
“It will also affect our right to adopt children.”
Sun said he was happy to see LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) organization members gather outside the court to show their support.
“I have noticed that there has been an increasing number of same-sex cases around the country since last year. It means LGBT people are learning to fight for their rights,” Sun said.
Same-sex marriage is not legal in China. The country only officially decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, and listed it as a mental illness for another four years.
There are 15 countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay) and certain sub-jurisdictions (parts of Denmark, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States) that allow same-sex couples to get married.
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