China's first gay marriage rights case will have its hearing on Jan. 28. The plaintiff, Sun Wenlin, shared a photo of the summons on his social media on Thursday afternoon, writing that, "media can attend and interview." The Furong District People's Court in Changsha city has confirmed the date, reported The Mirror.

The lawsuit is being brought by 26-year-old Sun, who is suing a local civil affairs bureau for denying him the right to marry his 36-year-old partner in Changsha, central China's Hunan province, on June 23 of last year. At that time, a staff member at the Furong district civil affairs bureau pointed at the law articles and told him, "only a man and a woman can get married."

Sun Wenlin(L) and his boyfriend. "Freedom of Marriage" (Photo/CNS)

But Sun Wenlin said the original text of the law was not "a man and a woman" but rather about monogamy. Sun said, "In my understanding, monogamous marriage does not only refer to heterosexual marriage between a man and a woman, but can also refer to marriage between two men or two women."

Therefore, Sun Wenlin sought counsel and brought a lawsuit against Furong District’s Civil Affairs Bureau.

On Jan. 6, Sun Wenlin and his boyfriend received a case acceptance notice from the court, which makes it official that the first case challenging the ban on gay marriage has been accepted by a Chinese court.