Sun Wenlin, the first man in China to file a lawsuit to register his same-sex marriage, plans to appeal the case after his claim was dismissed by the local court in Changsha, Hunan Province, last Wednesday, April 13, the Global Times reported.
The Furong District court announced the following on its official websites: "China's law and regulation on marriage clearly stipulate that the parties in a marriage are a man and a woman, and the registration application filed by the two men obviously does not meet the requirement."
According to Sun, the ruling was "unjust and unfair," as there is no law or regulation that effectively bans same-sex marriages in China.
"Though the chance of winning is slim, at least we are trying, and it's better than doing nothing," Shi Fulong, Sun's lawyer, told the Global Times.
Shi and his client will file the application for appeal once the court's verdict has been formally delivered in 10 days.
Sun, 27, and his 37-year-old partner are determined to fight for their marriage regardless if the appeal is dismissed. The couple will continue to file their marriage application at the local office every June 23 until the registration is finally recognized by the government.
The case was originally filed in Furong District court on Dec. 16, 2015, a few days after the marriage registration application was denied by an official at the local bureau of civil affairs. The official reportedly told Sun that only "one man and one woman" can register their marriage.
The Furong bureau of civil affair's marriage registration department has yet to comment or respond to the Global Times' interview request.
Sun is the first Chinese person to register his same-sex marriage through courts in China, said Shi. The lawyer hopes that the first case will spark a movement in encouraging China to modify the law and include the LGBT community.
NGOs such as Common Language and LGBT Rights Advocacy China have announced their support for Sun's appeal on Wednesday, saying that the voice of the LGBT community must be heard and addressed.