A lesbian couple walked down Guangzhou’s Beijing Road on Wednesday wearing wedding dresses and bearing a sign asking onlookers to wish them happiness, Yangcheng Evening News reports. The couple, Xiao Yang and Xiaoxiao were defiant in the face of criticism from some members of the public.

The couple ask members of the public to wish them happiness

The couple emerged at around 11 a.m. when Beijing Road is at its busiest. They started caressing each other’s hair and smooching. Having drawn much attention, Xiao Yang stated loudly: “As of today, this woman is my wife and I am her wife. We are in love, so wish us luck as you would any couple.”

The couple were criticized to their faces by some straight couples and older people but they were defiant, saying: “Wouldn’t you let a woman love another woman?”

Other members of the public applauded and cheered.

When interviewed by the paper, Xiao Yang cited as her hero Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Iceland’s lesbian prime minister who was recently in Beijing. Xiao Yang said the couple’s goal was to inspire other gay people and win respect from the general public.

Gay marriage is not legally recognized in China but this does not stop some couples from holding wedding ceremonies.