China held a hearing on Monday on its first transgender employment discrimination case after he was dismissed from work for "not conforming to traditional notions" of gender, according to the case lawyers.

The 28-year-old transgender plaintiff, identified as Chen, claimed that he was hired as a sales representative by a certain health care provider in south China's Guiyang city last April. In an interview with a local newspaper, Chen said he did not disclose his female gender during his application but noted that the medical service firm was aware of his "special gender situation."

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However, Chen said that was he was fired a week after because he was allegedly wearing men's clothes.

Guiyang Evening News suggested that Chen had been kicked out because he was a transgender, quoting the company's manager saying "Chen's appearance really didn't fit our standards."

"My sales job performance was in no way negatively affected by appearance. To fire me for this reason is to discriminate against me," he said.

Chen together with his lawyer Huang Sha filed a case and sought for a compensation of nearly 2,000 yuan on grounds of unfair dismissal. Furthermore, Chen demanded a formal written apology from Ciming.

 "I am not doing this only for myself, but also for all those who might face employment discrimination, such as those who are pregnant or disabled," he told The Global Times.

 "I wanted to defend my own rights and to receive the respect I deserve," Chen told The Guardian.

The case was heard on Monday, and a verdict is set to be given by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, during the hearing, the company insisted that it dismissed Chen because the management felt he was not qualified to do the job.

Activists said Chen's case is China's first court ruling on grounds of transgender rights.

Tagstransgender, discrimination, gender equality, LGBT, china