Artyom, a young guy from Tyumen (Siberia, Russia), worked for the local construction company in a position of logistics engineer. He was not satisfied with the methods of payment (his wages were being paid not in one lump but in parts). He tried to talk this problem with his employer but with no success, the boss told him "to request for discharge by his own will" and said that "gays were not wanted here".

For several months Artyom could not take back his Labor record booklet from his employer who at the same time was repeatedly sending SMS to his friends and relatives about his sexual orientation. He was forced to quit and his privacy was violated.

Lawyers from "Rainbow house" (Russian LGBT-Net) helped him to file a suit to be reinstated in his last job and to sue his previous employer for his dignity's damages. At the same time he filed a suit in criminal court in accordance with the article 137 of the Russian Criminal Code - violation of personal privacy.

His lawyer says that Artyom's case might help other GLBT people to come out of their closets and it would be a good example for GLBT people to defend their rights. "I know a lot of cases when gay people were fired only because of their sexual orientation. It is a discrimination that is very hard to prove in court", Artyom's lawyer was quoted by the Russian LGBT-Net official blog as saying (automatic translation >>).

English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes