“He kissed a man, lost his job. Now he is suing China’s biggest airline for unjust firing", 11 November 2020

A former flight attendant of China Southern Airlines lost his job after a video of him kissing another male colleague went viral. He is now suing his former employer, the biggest air carrier of China and in Asia, for unjust firing. [...]

The man was quickly identified as a flight attendant surname Chai who worked for China Southern Airlines, a state-owned carrier and China’s largest airline company. China Southern Airlines promptly suspended Chai and six months later the company decided not to renew his employment contract. 

One supervisor said in a private meeting that the suspension “was about the airline’s reputation,” according to an audio recording posted online by Chai. 

China Southern Airlines did not respond to Inkstone’s repeated email requests for comment. 

Chai is now suing the carrier for unjust suspension and firing and is demanding a six-month salary reimbursement. A local court in the southern city of Shenzhen, where Chai was based, heard the case on November 2, 2020. No decision has been made yet. [...]