03.06.2015
An appelationary complaint - concerning the Kirov Local Court's decision to refuse the teacher, fired in the end of 2014 for her homosexuality, in reinstantment - was sent to the St.Petersburg City Court.
Failure to meet the requirements of the plaintiff was motivated by "amoral and unethical behaviour while being a music teacher", which was allegedly traced on the photographs from the social networks.
The teacher herself calls the court's judgement illegal and contradictory to the facts, that she makes clear in the text of the appelation: "I don't know where one got those photographs and the prints, part of which are not mine. When school principal made a decision to dismiss me, he cited only that I'm a lesbian ("representor of non-traditional sexual orientation"). This information was given to him by Timur Isaev (so-called "gay hunter"), not by students' parents themselves. Before my dismissal nobody was informed about my "non-traditional sexual orientation".
On the basis of the case file follows that the court's judgement contradicts the position of the defendant as well, that was clearly stated in opposition to the teacher's claim which states: "Being lesbian is amoral, that's why dismissal is absolutely legal in this case".
Educator's representatives in the court underline that in accordance with the Constitutional Court's resolution on the 23th of September 2014 "sexual orientation as such cannot serve as a legitimate criterion for installing differences in legal status of a human being and citizen". That means, the teacher's dismissal is to be considered as a direct discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Contacts for media/press:
Dmitry Bartynov, lawyer + 7 (905) 222 89 15, bartenev@yahoo.com