A Chinese court ruled against two men seeking to marry, it said Wednesday, as more sexual minorities push for equal rights in the country.
Sun Wenlin, 27, sued a civil affairs bureau after it refused to grant him and his partner, Hu Mingliang, a marriage certificate.
The Furong district court in Changsha, in the central province of Hunan, agreed in January to hear the case, a move many observers considered a landmark development in itself.
But the court quickly dismissed the suit after hearing it on Wednesday.
“According to our country’s relevant marriage laws and regulations, marriage is only between a man and a woman,” it said on an official social media account.
The couple’s lawyer said they would appeal against the verdict.
“This is the first gay marriage case in China, and I believe there will be more gay people fighting for their rights in different ways,” attorney Shi Fulong told AFP.
