CHINA鈥擜 court in Central China鈥檚 Hunan province has accepted a case of two homosexuals who sued the government agency for not allowing them to register their marriage.
It may be the first time in the country that a same-sex couple is seeking the right to marry through legal means.
One of the men, surnamed Sun, and his boyfriend went to the marriage registration office under the civil affairs bureau of Changsha鈥檚 Furong district in June but were refused by the office staff who said the laws did not allow gay marriage.
鈥淭hey told me that only a man and a woman can get married. But in my understanding, 鈥榟usband and wife鈥� not only refers to a man and a woman, but also two males or two females. Laws that permit gay marriage are considered nondiscriminatory,鈥� Sun said.
Shi Fulong, the attorney for the couple, said that in view of the uniqueness of the lawsuit, it should go down in history whether Sun and his boyfriend win or lose.
鈥淢arriage is one of the fundamental human rights, and such rights of gay and lesbian people should also be protected. But people hardly care,鈥� Shi said.
鈥淪ome countries have provided legal recognition of same-sex couples in recent years. Maybe it鈥檚 too early in China to yearn for legal changes, but the lawsuit can serve as a beginning to raise public attention and propel changes,鈥� he said.
Homosexuals account for roughly 4 percent of China鈥檚 population, according to Li Yinhe, the country鈥檚 best known sexologist.
Liu Junjie, a partner at the Shanghai branch of Dacheng Law Offices, believed Sun and his boyfriend will undoubtedly lose the case. 鈥淭here is no basis for their suit in substantive law,鈥� he said.
Sun and his boyfriend submitted materials to the court in mid-December requesting an order that the civil affairs bureau鈥檚 response was an administrative error.
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