A Chinese court has ruled that a transgender man was unjustly dismissed by a former employer, the plaintiff said on Thursday, in the country’s first such discrimination lawsuit.
The 29-year-old man, who identifies himself only as “Mr C” to protect his parents’ privacy, said the verdict by a district court in the southwestern city of Guiyang ruled his employment rights were violated, ordering his previous employer, Ciming Checkup, to pay him the equivalent of US$297.
“Short of a formal apology from Ciming, I think this lawsuit has achieved its purpose,” Mr C told reporters.
“It’s never been about money,” he said. “We hope, through this case, people in similar situations will realize they have a right, and we hope it will eventually result in a workplace anti-discrimination law.”
In 2001, the Chinese Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders, although legal protections and concepts such as same-sex marriage remain foreign to most in positions of authority.
Still, the increased social acceptance has encouraged some members of sexual and gender minorities to come forward and demand their legal rights, with mixed results.
In 2014, a Beijing court ruled that forced “conversion therapy” intended to change sexual preferences from gay to straight to be illegal.
Earlier this year, a court in central Henan Province ordered a public mental hospital to issue a public apology and pay US$375 in compensation after forcing “conversion therapy” on a gay man.
However, a court in southern Hunan Province shot down an attempt by a gay couple to register their marriage in April last year.
China has no law addressing employment discrimination, and efforts are ongoing to enact laws protecting minorities in the workplace.
Mr C filed the lawsuit after an arbitration council last year ruled against his claim that he had been unfairly fired by the medical testing center.
In an interview in May last year, Mr C said that he decided to sue the company because he felt that someone had to do it when many people were unwilling or did not dare to speak up about their employment rights.
The court in December last year ruled that he was improperly dismissed, but found no evidence that he was discriminated against because he was transgender.
Mr C pressed on, and experts on labor and gender issues testified on his behalf.
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