A Chinese judge has rejected a gay couple’s attempt to secure the right to marry in the country’s first same-sex marriage case. Sun Wenlin had sued the civil affairs bureau in the city of Changsha for the right to marry his 37-year-old partner Hu Mingliang, a security guard. In January a court in Changsha agreed to hear their case, which activists said was the first of its kind in China.

The judge in Changsha announced he was dismissing the case shortly after the three-hour trial hearing had ended. Shi Fulong, the lawyer representing the couple, claimed the court had provided insufficient grounds for dismissing the case but said gay marriage was destined to become a reality in China in the not-so-distant future: “If the law is unable to provide people with equality and justice, it means the law needs to be changed,” he said.

Earlier hundreds of LGBT campaigners had gathered outside the court to show their support for the couple’s case. Read more via the Guardian