Transgender Chinese man says he's won job bias lawsuit

BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese court has ruled that a transgender man was unjustly dismissed by a former employer, the plaintiff said 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. It ordered his previous employer, Ciming Checkup, pay him the equivalent of $297.

The court said no one was available to speak about the case. Ciming did not immediately respond to AP requests for comment.

The man filed the lawsuit after an arbitration council last year ruled against his claim that he had been unfairly fired by a medical testing center.

In a May interview with AP, Mr. C said he decided to sue the company in court because someone had to do it when many people were unwilling or dare not to speak up about their employment rights.

The court ruled in December 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.

While still relatively conservative, Chinese society has become more accepting of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people in recent years.