China’s First Ever Same-Sex Marriage Lawsuit Thrown Out By Judge 

Sun Wenlin, left, and Hu Mingliang

Sun Wenlin, 27 and Hu Mingliang, 37 filed a lawsuit against Changsha city authorities after the authorities refused to give them a marriage certificate.

The two men had tried to register their union in June last year and filed the lawsuit in December.

In spite of the fact that same-sex marriage is legally not recognised in China, a district court agreed to hear the case in January , a first in China.


Amidst the cheers from hundreds of supporters who had gathered outside as Sun Wenlin and Hu Mingliang entered the court, a judge threw out the suit Wednesday. The couple however has vowed to appeal.

This development comes amid growing awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in China, where society and the government have generally frowned on non-traditional expressions of gender and sexuality.