Ningbo woman gets US$0K in compensation after divorcing gay husband

A court in Zhejiang Province has backed a young womans appeal for a divorce on the grounds her husband didn't tell her he was gay, Zhejiang-based Modern Gold Express reported.

The man has agreed to pay her 800,000 yuan (about US$130,000) in compensation following court mediation, the report said.

The 27-year-old woman surnamed Wang, from Ningbo, thought she had met the man of her dreams but the relationship quickly turned into a nightmare, according to the report.

Wang said she had a big crush on her 32-year-old future husband, surnamed Zhou, when meeting him for the first time. She found him humorous and attractive. He even proposed to her on the evening they first met. Zhou texted her, "Will you marry me?" the woman told the court.

They dated for about four months before she said yes. Wang said they were with friends at a party when Zhou suddenly proposed and she accepted. They married in March.

On the day they married Zhou slept in a separate room, saying he was having a cold, the court heard. One week later, he still refused to move back into their bedroom. When Wang demanded an explanation, Zhou took out a credit card and said, "I know I owe you and I will try to compensate you," according to the report. He told his wife she could buy whatever she wanted with the credit card.

In the following months, Wang discovered her husband always left home quickly after receiving calls from a man named Jack.

She followed her husband one weekend and discovered he was dating a man in a pub. Zhou then admitted to being gay and that he married her due to pressure from his parents, the report said.

He also proposed that Wang continue to cover up for him.

Wang filed a lawsuit late last month, demanding a divorce and compensation. Zhou finally agreed to pay her 800,000 yuan and signed the divorce paper after court mediation.

many gay men in China marry and have children because of pressure from their parents and to avoid social stigma.

Most Chinese believe continuing a familys bloodline is an obligation for men.

An estimated 80 to 90 percent of gay men in China get married, trapping their spouses in an unhappy union, according to retired Qingdao University Professor Zhang Beichuan, adding nearly 10 million Chinese women are stuck in such marriages.

LINK:	http://en.nbwh.gov.cn/art/2014/8/18/art_1325_58460.html...
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