Man in Japan receives compensation after boss discloses his sexual orientation without permission

A Japanese man who suffered from psychological distress after his manager at work disclosed his sexual orientation without his permission has now been deemed eligible for compensation.

The man filed a claim for workers’ compensation in April last year and a labour office in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district accepted his appeal, reported the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

According to the labour office, the act of disclosing the worker’s sexual orientation has been termed as an abuse of power that has caused the complainant psychological distress.

This is likely the first such case in Japan where authorities will grant compensation to an employee who was, without his consent, outed at a workplace, said non-profit organisation Posse which deals with labour concerns.

It is not immediately clear what type of compensation the complainant, who is in his 20s, will receive.

He said the personal detail about his sexual orientation was first brought to his senior’s notice when he started working in an insurance company in 2019.

The man had requested to list his partner as his emergency contact person.

He had foretold his senior that any disclosure about his sexual orientation would only be made by him as and when it was necessary.

But the senior worker passed on the information concerning his sexual preference to another colleague without his consent.

During a drinking session, the boss allegedly told the complainant that it is okay “if it is just one person”.

“I thought you would be too embarrassed to tell others yourself,” he said, according to the report.

As a result, the man said he developed mental health issues. The disclosure caused him to develop a distrust of people, forcing him to resort to suicidal thoughts, reported The Japan Times.

He later quit his role at the company in October 2020 after his boss’s actions were acknowledged. The company also paid him an undisclosed amount as settlement, the report added.