> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Gay flight attendant sues Chinese airline after suspension
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/gay-flight-attendant-sues-chinese-airline-after-suspension/
- Published: 2020-11-05T14:14:59.000Z
- Updated: 2020-11-04T14:51:44.000Z
- Description: A gay former flight attendant, who has declined to share his full name with the press but goes by his surname Chai, is suing China Southern Airlines – the country’s largest airline – after he was suspended for his sexuality.
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: News, anti-discrimination, gay, gay rights, LGBTQ

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/china-flight-attendant-1.jpg)

Chai and his lawyer

A gay former flight attendant, who has declined to share his full name with the media but goes by his surname, Chai, is suing **China Southern Airlines** after being suspended for his sexuality. According to the [**Daily Mail**](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8905787/amp/China-LGBT-rights-Former-gay-flight-attendant-sues-China-Southern-Airlines-suspending-him.html?ref=scenemag.co.uk), Chai was suspended from his job for sixth months after a video surfaced in 2019 on social media showing him kissing another man. It was shared without his permission, leading Chai to file a legal complaint. The case was taken to court this week in the city of **Shenzhen**.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/china-southern-airlines-1.jpg)

Chai, who had been working with the country’s largest airline since 2015, said he was only paid 10% of his salary while he was in suspension, and the company refused to renew his contract. He said in a statement: *“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…We shouldn’t be discriminated against, we shouldn’t be oppressed and receive this unfair treatment, that’s why I am protesting.”*

He added: *“I understand what it means for me to go against a company this large, to fight for my rights. It means I can never do the job that I love again, at least not in China.”* Although same-sex relations are[ legal](https://www.equaldex.com/region/china?ref=scenemag.co.uk) in China, marriage is not and LGBTQ+ people are frequently subjected to prejudice as there are no legal protections against discrimination, including employment discrimination. Chai is hoping that sharing his story will benefit other LGBTQ+ workers in the country

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/china-lgbt-1.jpg)