China more tolerant of same-sex marriage

China has accepted its first same-sex marriage case, seen as a step forward for gay rights in the country.

国受理了该国首例同性婚姻案件，这被认为是中国同性恋维权迈出的一步。

Sun Wenlin lodged a case against a civil affairs bureau for denying his application to marry his long-term partner. He was told by an official at the Furong district civil affairs bureau that "marriage had to be between a man and a woman".

孙文林（音）起诉民政局，原因是民政局拒绝了他与长期伴侣的结婚申请。芙蓉区民政局的一名官员告诉他："只有一男一女才能结婚。"

While homosexuality is not illegal in China, and large cities have thriving gay scenes, same-sex marriage is not legal and same-sex couples have no legal protections.

然同性恋在中国不违法，而且大城市里的同性恋现象也越来越多，但同性婚姻并不合法，同性恋伴侣也得不到法律保护。

Mr Sun said a court in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, had accepted his lawsuit on Tuesday.

孙文林说，湖南省省会长沙市的一家法院5日受理了他的诉讼。

"I think from a legal point of view, we should be successful," Mr Sun, 26, told Reuters.

26岁的孙文林对路透社记者说："我认为从法律角度来看，我们应该会胜诉。"

"Our marriage law says there is the freedom to marry and gender equality. These words can be applied to same-sex marriage."

他说："我国婚姻法规定了婚姻自由和男女平等。这些规定也适用于同性婚姻。"

A Furong court official said he "would not comment on cases before they are heard".

芙蓉区法院一名官员说，他"在案件审理前不会就此置评"。

China has become progressively more tolerant of gay rights, where up until 2001 homosexuality was listed as a mental illness. But in a country where homosexuality was only legalised in 1997 there is still a strong social stigma.

国对于同性恋权利变得越来越宽容，而直到2001年之前，同性恋在中国还被列为一种精神疾病。但在一个同性恋直到1997年才合法化的国家，对于同性恋仍然存在着强烈的社会歧视。

Activists are hopeful that this case will mark a turning point in the discrimination against the LGBT community.

维权人士希望此案成为一个转折点，改变对女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋和跨性别者（LGBT）群体的歧视。

Mr Sun's legal consultant, Ding, who withheld her full name due to the sensitivity of the case, said: "From the standpoint of improving visibility, this case is no doubt a victory."

孙文林的法律顾问丁女士说："从提高关注度角度来看，这起案件无疑是一场胜利。"由于此案的敏感性，丁女士并未透露其全名。

The court is expected to hand down a ruling within the next six months.

法院预计将在接下来的6个月内做出判决。