A company in Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou province, has fired a man for being transgender without paying his salary.

The man, known as Chen, was fired last year by Ciming Checkup after working only one week. Shanghai daily reports that he has appealed to the local arbitration commission to seek compensation.

"If it was due to my ability and attitude at work, I would have accepted the dismissal but some staff called me gay and said that I ruined the image of the company, which was hard to take," Chen said.

"Of course a company can fire its employees during the probation period if they cannot fulfil the job requirements, but the company should pay compensation in accordance with the Labor Law. If Chen was fired out of prejudice, it would be against the Contract Law," said Huang Sha, Chen's legal representative.

The head of human resources of the company confirmed that Chen had been fired due to "incompatibility with the company's requirements" and noted that as he was hired through an acquaintance there had not been background checks.

They also noted that Chen's position as a health specialist required him to communicate frequently with senior executives of other companies. Jin said that this is the reason why there was a "high requirement on the image," adding that Chen's were not up to those standards.

The news has received a lot of attention online, highlighting the position of LGBT in China's society.