A gay rights defender has taken legal action against a Beijing newspaper after it reported the "wedding" of a male couple.

The gay rights defender, Xiao Dong, told Xinhua Tuesday the Beijing Times reporter was unethical in photographing the couple's backs after the couple had opposed the photography.

Xiao, also the master of ceremonies at the wedding, said he was acting on behalf of the couple.

Xiao said his lawyer has sent an letter to the newspaper requesting the removal of the pictures from websites, an official apology and the dismissal of the reporter

"If they don't take these actions, we will have to take them to court," said Xiao, who works at the Beijing Rainbow Volunteer Station for HIV/AIDS Prevention.

Xiao said the reporter was invited to the private event along with other media partners as a reward for not reporting the event prior to the release of a story.

Apart from the photographs, Xiao said, the accompanying report was inaccurate, because it said the couple were asked to get "married."

"They themselves made the decision," he said.

Neither the newspaper, the reporter or couple could be reached for comments.

Most of the photographs have been removed from the newspaper's website.

At the wedding ceremony, in front of dozens of friends, the two men swore to be a couple.

The event created an online frenzy because it was apparently the first gay "wedding" in Beijing.

Xiao said they endorsed the "marriage" to set an example for the gay community, noting that stable relationships would lower the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, such as AIDS.

Currently, same-sex marriage is illegal in China, a country with millions of homosexuals.

Statistics from the Beijing Health Bureau show that about 60 percent of the city's new HIV/AIDS cases last year were contracted via male homosexual activities.