Russian court says refusing employment to lesbian woman was illegal

A court in Novosibirsk has ruled that a carpenter's workshop illegally discriminated against a woman when it refused to hire her because she is a lesbian. A judge ordered the company “Sib-Alliance” to extend an employment contract to Anna Balash and pay her 1,000 rubles ($15) in compensation for moral damages.

Anna Balash tried twice to find a job at Sib-Alliance as a sales manager for selling the company's woodworks. She first applied for the position in October 2015. Four months later, when she saw that the vacancy still had not been filled, she applied again. Both times, the company turned her away for the same reason: her “nontraditional sexual orientation.”

The second time Balash was rejected by the company, she even received a personalized letter explaining that her sexual orientation “doesn't meet the requirements of the organization with respect to the job, and might negatively affect the company's image and prevent the carrying out of the position's direct responsibilities.” The letter went on to explain, “The specifics of the manager's position are working with clients. The overwhelming majority of our clients support traditional family values, and your employment could lead to profit losses.”