This could be a landmark lawsuit in China, where anti-discrimination protections for queer people are scant.

A gay kindergarten teacher in China is suing his former employer for anti-gay discrimination after he was abruptly fired.

The unnamed plaintiff was fired from his school district in the city of Qingdao in August, reports Reuters. He recalled to the news wire that the school’s principal told him students’ parents were concerned about a gay man teaching their children. The man says the incident made him feel “grave apprehension” about cultural attitudes toward queer people in China.

The man’s lawyer, Tang Xiangqian, says the plaintiff was terminated without severance pay or compensation for his 10% stake in the school district. A case like this could have major ripple effects for LGBTQ acceptance in China, where protections for the queer community are few and far between. Currently, Chinese law lacks specific workplace protections for queer people, although vague protections are in place for general minority groups.

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Though homosexuality and gender changes are both technically legal in China, the country’s government has a detailed history of cracking down on LGBTQ media and events, including concerts, festivals, and public rallies.

“The main reason we filed this case is not just as a labor dispute, but to make the gay community more visible to a wider group of people,” Xiangqian said. “To let more people realize that they can easily be victims of discrimination.”

A court in Qingdao chose to move forward with the case this Thursday. According to court documents obtained by Reuters, the man hopes to be re-hired and seeks paid compensation for his financial losses.