A Chinese lesbian couple’s landmark court battle over the custody of their two children has stirred debate over LGBT rights and put a spotlight on a legal vacuum created by the absence of a same-sex marriage law. Shanghai resident Zhang Peiyi split up with her partner last year. The partner has since broken off communication and taken their two toddlers away to an unknown location. So Zhang has turned to the courts, filing a case in the eastern province of Zhejiang this month, to fight for custody of one of the children, the one she gave birth to, and visitation rights to the other. A court has accepted the case but hearings have yet to begin. “Even if I can find them, I won’t be able to see them,” Zhang told Reuters. “I thought who else can help me? I could only find a lawyer.”