A day after President Trump announced a ban on transgender troops, China’s LGBT movement scored a small but significant victory.

A Chinese court on Thursday found that a transgender man was unjustly fired from his job, a first-of-its-kind ruling that activists called a step forward in the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights.

The litigant, who goes by ‘‘Mr. C’’ to protect the privacy of his family and girlfriend, sued his former employer, Ciming Checkup, a health services firm, alleging that he was fired for wearing men’s clothes.

He said his colleagues had told him he looked ‘‘like a lesbian’’ and might damage the company’s reputation.

A court in the city of Guiyang ruled that Mr. C’s employment rights were indeed violated.

It also said workers should not be discriminated against ‘‘based on their ethnicity, race, gender, or religious beliefs.’’ The court ordered his former employer to pay him the equivalent of $297.

Though the compensation is modest, the case matters — for two reasons.

First, activists believe that this is the first time a Chinese court has heard a case on transgender identity.

Second, the verdict clearly stated that workers should not face discrimination. Although the ruling was about worker rights — as opposed to, say, human rights — activists and lawyers believe it could shape employer behavior and encourage the government to develop an antidiscrimination employment law.

washington post