A Chinese transgender man has won a landmark case against his unfair dismissal from his work at a medical clinic. However, some call the outcome as only a "limited victory."
Considered as China's first case involving transgender discrimination in the workplace, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiff after being illegally dismissed from work.
The man, who is identified in the state media as Mr. C, was fired after his one-week probation at the Ciming Health Checkup Center in Guiyang. He brought the case to court after his complaint was dismissed at the labor tribunal.
The Guizhou court awarded him with a month's wages. But despite the favorable outcome, this could only be considered as a limited victory for Mr. C's lawyers and the Chinese LGBT community as well.
While the court has ruled that he was illegally fired, it also said that there was no proof that Mr. C was dismissed because of his sexual orientation. Because of this, the court did not grant his demand for a written apology from the company.
According to Huang Sha, one of Mr. C's lawyers, the case highlights the problem of "invisible discrimination" because employers can always claim that they fired people for reasons other than the one they're accused of.
But for Mr. C, filing the lawsuit was never about the compensation. He said that pursuing the case in court was about dignity, raising the awareness of the transgender and sexual minorities, and to call for an anti-discrimination legislation.
He believes that his case might spark some initiatives and renewed efforts for an anti-discrimination legislation to protect people like him.
When it comes to matters involving the LGBT community, China is still deeply conservative. Despite having a long way to go, the efforts of Mr. C and other members of the Chinese LGBT community will surely come a long way to end discrimination not only in China but for the rest of the world as well.