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As a country that still stands behind fairly rigid gender roles, Japan has a long way to go in granting its LGBTQ citizens equal rights. Same-sex couples, for example, are still fighting for their right to get married in Japan, and many in the LGBTQ community experience discrimination and exclusion from society on a daily basis.
Yet in spite of this, every once in a while small strides are made towards equal rights. Transgender women, at least, are slowly gaining acceptance by Japanese society. Last year, Ochanomizu University, a women’s college in Tokyo, announced that they will start accepting transgender women to their programs starting in 2020. A few other women’s universities have done the same, including Nara Women’s University, and Tsuda University, a private women’s college in Tokyo.
Now Chikushi Jogakuen University, a women’s university in Fukuoka, is also adding its name to the list. They announced their decision on the fourth, and said that they intend to outline the details by the end of 2019. They would be the first women’s university in Kyushu to take the path of acceptance.
▼ A promotional video for Chikushi Jogakuen University
On a governmental level, equal rights are still a long way off, but little moves like this on the societal level really help make strides towards acceptance of LGBTQ individuals. As same-sex romance is being portrayed more and more in the media, and positive LGBTQ shows like Queer Eye are becoming popular in Japan, awareness of LGBTQ issues are coming into the spotlight.
That leads to minor but important changes, like transgender women being accepted into women’s universities, and gender becoming irrelevant on high school applications.Perhaps, step-by-step, little by little, Japan can carve its way towards a more equal society.
Source: livedoor news via My Game News Flash
Read more stories from SoraNews24.
-- Tokyo women’s university will accept transgender students who identify as female, a Japan first
-- Japan elects its first openly transgender man to public office
-- Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward to offer marriage certificates to same-sex couples
- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2019/04/10/another-womens-university-in-japan-to-accept-transgender-women-the-first-in-kyushu/
15 Comments
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Anonymous
I wonder if there have been any cases of transwomen falsely outing heterosexual men for resisting their advances.
JJ Jetplane
Currently there are a few cases in the US where transgendered are either being barred from competing in sports that they now identify as or they are apparently much better than the other athletes in the sports they are competing in.
One of the top female runners at the collegiate level is transgendered and people are complaining that person has an unfair advantage because of natural genetics. One famous case is CeCe Telfer.
I am all for everyone's rights. That they will be allowed to enter into an all girls school shows how far people have come towards accepting differences.
Anonymous
Whether or not something is truly “progress” depends on the particular ends and the means, does it not?
albaleo
I've read recently of a number of such cases, particularly in prisons. Here's one article:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/09/sexual-assaults-in-womens-prison-reignite-debate-over-transgender-inmates-karen-white
The issue of gender self-identification has been causing a rift between some feminist groups and transgender groups.
Concerned Citizen
Transgender females entering women's universities leaves less room for limited seats to biological females. This is not fair.
So a gender fluid biological man can have it both ways. He can identify as a male and enter coed universities and if that doesn't work he can identify as a female and enter a women's uni. That's wrong and unfair.
Strangerland
What would be fair would be refusing trans-women to male universities. Women are allowed to enter co-ed universities already.
Alex Einz
Good i guess, in case these are real , fully new half girls that fully identify as women and not the US style crossdressing males that have nothing to do with being female except a statement and do it just to get ahead in sports or similar
Alex Einz
To the posters above... there is no reason why a FTM could do same in male uni, again provided engaged in actual hormonal treatment... just declaration on identification should not be enough for gender identification
Ah_so
From the abolition of feudalism, through universal suffrage, the translation of the bible out of Latin, votes for women, the end of slavery, colonialism, fighting sexual discrimination, gay rights and racism - the conservatives always object initially. And then come round to it.
The current battle is on gay rights to marriage and transgender rights. The former of these two is nearly won.
Given the track record conservative resistance to social progress over the past 600 years, I don't think this one will be any different.
oldman_13
Congratulations, I suppose
bullfighter
A load of ethnic stereotyping with no evidence to support the claims.
TrevorPeace
@JJ Jetplane, I have a simple solution to the debate about athletics - we have separate male and female competitions, exclusive to each other. Why not a separate transgender level of competition. Seems to me a simple solution. Would the transgenders take offense? Probably, but they caused the problem, not the heterogenus rest of us.
Ah_so
This is going to annoy plenty. The usual reactionary social conservative bunch.
commanteer
This is going to thrill plenty. The usual reactionary pseudo-enlightened bunch.