Man refused job because he ‘looked gay’
A man in Russia has been refused a job in a sports shop because of his “feminine manner” and “gay looks”.
Eduard Zavyalov, whose surname has been changed, from Omsk was told that his appearance looked like he was a part of the LGBT+ community.
Because of this, he was not offered the sales position within the sports shop, LLC Hardcore.
When he sought out feedback, human resources wrote in a letter, that was published on Omskinform, that his appearance promoted a “non-traditional” sexuality.
It read: “feminine manner of speaking and gestures as well as his appearance (excessive grooming and calling clothes) create a general impression that you are a representative of a sexual minority which promotes non-traditional sexual relations through behaviour and appearance”.
The letter also informed Zavyalov that he could not be employed because of a law which has been coined the gay propaganda ban.
The controversial law, deemed discriminatory by the European Court of Human Rights, bans the promotion of homosexuality to minors.
Zavyalov said that in his interview for the position he was not once asked about his previous experience, just about his appearance.
However, he argued that his appearance is not feminine – he just has a pierced ear.
“I don’t know how I can be propagating anything. My clothes are reserved. The only thing that could probably confuse somebody is that my ear is pierced,” he explained.
Andrey Chistyakov, the director of the store, said that he did not condone the letter and had no issues with the LGBT+ community but that “there are certain requirements for the appearance of a salesman in a sport nutrition store and he does not correspond to them”.
He also insisted that by denying Zavyalov’s application they were actually protecting him from their customers.
“Our customers are tough guys. If they see [that he is gay] they could be hostile towards him. I wasn’t only concerned about the image of the store, I was concerned about this man’s health,” he added.
Zavyalov launched a lawsuit against the store for breaching the Labour Code of the Russian Federation.
The code states that applicants to job positions must not be denied work because they belong to a social group.
He sought out an apology and 50,000 (£642) roubles in damages and was reportedly awarded 30,000 roubles (£385).
