Transgender man wins China's first unfair dismissal case

In what is being called a landmark case, a Chinese transgender man has won a case of unfair dismissal. Earlier this week, a court ruled he had been illegally fired after working for a health centre in Guizhou for seven days, and ordered the company to pay him both his salary as well as RMB 1,500 (HKD 1,673) in compensation.

The plaintiff sued his former employer after a labour arbitration panel ruled he was fired for lacking "adequate skills".

Although the court sided with the plaintiff, deeming his dismissal illegal, it cleared the company of discrimination against transgender people due to a lack of evidence.

Commenting on the result, the plaintiff told news agency AFP that he was "quite happy". "It is the first case in China where a sexual minority wins. It is also a piece of good news for the community", he said. He did add there is a need for greater attention to legislation in the field of discrimination.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights remain a sensitive topic in many countries, Hong Kong included. Recently, HSBC faced some serious backlash after it placed two rainbow coloured replicas of its iconic lions, Stephen and Stitt, outside its Hong Kong office.

The bank displayed the pair in support of the LGBT movement as part of its Celebrate Pride, Celebrate Union campaign, but faced criticism from anti-LGBT groups who felt unhappy about the bank's inclusive policies and started a petition for the lions' removal.

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