China: Trans woman wins landmark employment discrimination case

A court in Beijing ruled that e-commerce company Dangdang should reinstate her contract with full back pay, Chinese media group Caixin reports.

The court also said that the woman, identified only by her surname Gao, should have access to the women’s bathroom and that her gender identity should be respected by her colleagues.

“Modern society is becoming more and more diverse,” the court said. “We are always finding novelties around us, and we learn to gradually accept them unless they threaten others’, the collective’s, national or social common interest.”

It added: “We are used to understanding society based on our understanding of biological gender, but there are still those who express their gender identities based on their own life experiences.

“For this persistent social expression, we often need to reexamine and re-understand, which can take a long time. But in fact more and more people choose to be more inclusive and it is necessary for us to gradually change our attitudes.”