A gay kindergarten teacher in Qingdao is suing his former school after being fired last month for posting a reference to a pro LGBT+ event he had attended on his social media. The principal of the school cited his sexual orientation as the reason for his termination, saying that parents may not want a gay man teaching their children. The teacher did not receive full severance, or compensation for his 10 percent stake in the school.
While there are no specific protections granted to LGBT+ individuals in Chinese labor laws, there are broader provisions against minority group discrimination.
The teacher and his lawyer, Tang Xiangqian, are fully aware of the implications of the case, which Tang says is the first of its kind in China.
“The main reason we filed this case is not just as a labor dispute but to make the gay community more visible to a wider group of people. To let more people realize that they can easily be victims of discrimination,” said Tang.
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