Former employee sues China Southern, alleging discrimination

A former flight attendant is suing China Southern for suspending him after his sexual orientation was made public without his consent last year, in a rare legal maneuver that pits him against the country’s largest airline. A video showing the man kissing another man was leaked on Chinese social media in October 2019. The man, surnamed Chai, who is declining to use his full name in media appearances, brought his case to a court in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen on Monday. Since the video appeared, the airline suspended Chai for six months and cut his pay, Chai’s lawyer Zhong Xialu said. Chai said he was paid around 10% of his salary while under suspension. The airline also declined to renew his contract, which was a five-year deal that was up for renewal in April this year. Chai, who had been working for the airline since 2015, said he was sad to lose a job that he loved. “I don’t want there to be anyone else like me who will be treated in this way. I think I really represent a very, very common worker, but just one who happens to be a sexual minority,” he said. “We shouldn’t be discriminated against, we shouldn’t be oppressed and receive this unfair treatment, that’s why I am protesting.” In the past few years, a few individuals, with assistance from activists, have successfully lobbied their cases in court. China Southern is owned directly by the government. Representatives to the company’s public relations department could not be reached for comment.<br/>