A gay kindergarten teacher in China is suing his former school after being fired last month, in what his lawyer called a landmark case to test China's protection of minority groups.

The teacher was dismissed in August from a school in the coastal city of Qingdao after he posted a comment on social media about an LGBT event he had attended, he said.

The teacher, who declined to be identified, said he was told by the school principal that parents may not want a gay man teaching their children.