Okayama to join other Japan cities issuing LGBT certificates

Burning Bush:

Let's be equal and fair, any two humans, regardless of the reason for them to live together, should get recognition.

Attempting to distract from the issue with a false equivalency and straw man argument is counterproductive to the conversation. The certificates are plainly geared toward further recognition of two people's right to love one another regardless of gender and receiving some of the benefits traditional couples enjoy and should be beneath being brought into the conversation.

Japan didn't have any discrimination against same sex relations until Western influences came to Japan. Lots of Samurai had their young male partner because you can't take your wife to battle. Yes, it wasn't just gays who liked guys. Too bad Japan came under this influence.

There's been eruption of protesting happening in US, parts of Europe, and footage was shown and shared on Instagram social media platform. Japan if you can uncover some news media about this, please do

Multi-tasking of the mind, you see - the ability to be concerned with and learn about all kinds of topics at the same time.

People are horrible at multitasking. My proof? Well while the government wastes its time on these gay marriage certificates with no legal binding, deep problems such as increasing divorce rates, child custody issues, the falling birthrate, the high rate of abortion, and the explosion of birth defects are festering. People are horrible at multitasking. Therefore, priorities are essential. I do support gay marriage and civil unions in principle but I would put support for polygamy long before it considering the birthrate problem. Sure, as you say lesbians can give birth and gays can adopt, but realistically, that's not going to happen in the numbers needed...ever. And BTW lesbians can get pregnant even when they are single just like any other female. No marriage necessary.

If I were to put the core of my feelings in one short point, it would be that heterosexual couples are the ones needing support in Japan, not gay couples by a long shot.

Burning Bush:

Let's be equal and fair, any two humans, regardless of the reason for them to live together, should get recognition.

Well sure, if you want things to lead to incest, go for it.

But I have a feeling you won't agree to it, when hard pressed.

I'd rather see a serious same-sex couple marry, than a straight Anna-Nicole Smith type of wedding.

Burning Bush:

Say like 2 straight guys who want to be roommates, or 2 brothers or something?

I'm intrigued. Do you know brothers who make love to each other?

Matej

normal Japan sayonara...

Err...There is a lot of evidence of homosexuality in Japan, dating back to ancient times, and most of the evidence to my understanding being from the Edo era. The publicity of homosexual relationships was only suppressed from the Meiji era, largely thanks to westernisation.

So, I'd actually say "Normal Japan, hello again, good to see you!"

Artemis Rogers

To put it another way, not only is Japan's birthrate falling through the floor threatening this society, its economy and its health and pension systems, but meanwhile teen girls are aborting perfectly healthy fetuses while older couples are birthing a surprising number of babies with birth defects like Down's we all get to support with our taxes. Those teen girls may well have kept their babies if they had any means of support or legal and societal sanction to marry.

But what are we talking about? The rights of gays and lesbians to marry. How many healthy children will they deliver to this country? I am worried about teenagers and their babies today. When that is solved, only then will I truly have any concern about gays and lesbians.

I am a left leaning centrist. Something I see here is the right being mean and the left paving the road to Hell with what they think are good intentions.

Teenage pregnancies and LGBT rights are two totally separate issues. Supporting one is not away from the other one.

It would be great, if there was more support (monetary, social, psychological) for teens in general and then especially pregnant teens, but terminating or keeping those pregnancies is nobody else's business, than those teenage girls. No woman is to be treated as a baby making machine.

Good?

Or welcome to the present?

Or BIG news, about 20 or more years ago in the rest of the world.

I see.

But what are we talking about? The rights of gays and lesbians to marry. 

Why yes, because that's the focus of this article. Multi-tasking of the mind, you see - the ability to be concerned with and learn about all kinds of topics at the same time.

This article is not the only one featured on this site. You really ought to go and find ones about the population of Japan, contraception, age of consent, and especially reasons for the low birth rate. Do you know the breakdown of number of abortions/age of pregnant woman, by the way?

Also, lesbians, being women, are capable of popping quite a few kids if they choose to. Same-sex couples have children by a variety of means, just as couples of different sexes do. Adoption, IVF, surrogacy, all methods embraced by couples of every orientation.

I'm pretty sure the days of women being mere baby-making machines are over, so your speculation over what a 16-year-old "may well have" done is irrelevant, it really is.

Your comment about "breaking couples up" remains unexplained and baffling. No worries.

. . .

Anyway.

Equal rights. The world is showing us how very important it is to support equality in the world, so that nobody is coerced, forced, limited, or suffering, on account of their sexual orientation, gender, creed, ethnicity, or colour.

Japan never had a Stonewall, and I am glad to see it won't come to that. The government will eventually legalise marriage for same sex couples, I am sure of it and glad of it.

Is that not young enough for you? 

Technically they can. But mostly they are not because society frowns upon it even here. Most marriages are now what, from mid-thirties?

Seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about.

I am being holistic about this. 1) We have bigger fish to fry. 2) Oppression is not being abolished, it is being transferred.

Artemis:

Seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about. "Breaking a couple up?" What?

You brought up single teenage mothers, not sure why, it's not on topic at all, UNLESS you are talking about who is or is not allowed to marry based on their age. It's 16 in Japan for both sexes. Is that not young enough for you? I'm baffled.

I'm not sure I understand. Is your complaint that pregnant teens aren't being forced into marriage 

Forced marriages are already illegal and have been for ages. I have no idea why you brought it up. The age of marriage does not need to be raised ever higher to stop forced marriages.

Perhaps you were talking about marriages forced by situation? Even gays co-habit and are in basically common law marriages because of financial hardship. Its just that teen moms are more prone to it and have fewer opportunities than even adult gays. Heterosexual legal adult women also marry because of financial hardship, whether they have kids or not.

My contention is that legal gay adults can take care of themselves while we ensure much more important things are taken care of.....or perhaps we just better keep the oppression on gays because it seems oppression can never die and I don't want it seen pushed on young people anymore.

I would suggest instead, comprehensive sex education and access to contraception for use by one or both partners

I see. That way you can have a cleaner conscience breaking a couple up and jailing one since there is no baby involved.

Anyway, why does it bother you? It doesn’t change my life in the slightest.

Country. Hell. Handbasket.

Look at tolerance on the whole.m I tend to look at countries which openly discriminate against LGBT people and can use sickening punishments including execution. They tend not to be tolerant countries. They suppress freedoms and suppress rights in general.

Unpleasant places.

As a resident of Okayama Prefecture, I'm happy to hear this and hope it is implemented in other towns and cities soon.

Hi Artemis Rogers:

Just as same-sex marriages are being sanctioned, the age of marriage is being pushed up in the countries doing it, even as the number of teen moms increases. Is it better that they remain single teen moms? 

I'm not sure I understand. Is your complaint that pregnant teens aren't being forced into marriage because they are under legal marrying age?

I would suggest instead, comprehensive sex education and access to contraception for use by one or both partners, without stigma or shame about using it.

As we all know, a nation whose women have ready access to birth control is overall a more successful nation, especially in terms of education, society, and economics.

I think you need to be practical and be prepared for more disappointments.

Oh, I am prepared for more disappointments. I go through this routine, you see, every day before reading the news on JT.

The days of discrimination against LGBT couples under the law in decent countries are coming to an end. Good riddance to those days too.

You say discrimination. I say, rules fairly applied to all.

Anyway, why does it bother you? It doesn’t change my life in the slightest.

Country. Hell. Handbasket.

But when 2 non-related adults do fall in love is it so bad?

A case in point to my previous contention. Why bold "adults"? Its so we can take the discrimination against gays and lesbians and turn it on another group of people. Just as same-sex marriages are being sanctioned, the age of marriage is being pushed up in the countries doing it, even as the number of teen moms increases. Is it better that they remain single teen moms? I would rather gays and lesbians cannot have a legally recognized marriage than have more single teen moms and kids in poverty. But this was never about fairness, justice or tradition. Its all about hate, including hating haters. I don't even think its really about tolerance of homosexuality anymore.

50 years from now you will be able to marry your dog so long its over 20. And those who illegally married their 19 year old dog will be seen as satanic scum.

I don't understand homosexual attractions or romance because I don't have those genetic attractions in me. But when 2 non-related adults do fall in love is it so bad? When gay marriages became 'legit' in America a lot of people screeched that the 'nation turned against God' and that Obama (who didn't make that decision and didn't have the power to) 'shook his fist in God's face'. Well the 'traditional family' isn't exactly endangered by it - abuse and violence within the family is the real danger. And Pope Francis himself said that there are several straight marriages that are so rotten, they're dysfunctional.

By nature homosexuals will always be a minority but it's real, not a choice or lifestyle. It exists in some animal species. And we are all made in God's image. It's time for the human race to realize that. We are diverse but we are all one.

These are not ‘LGBT certificates’ they are same sex partnership certificates.

None of those "relationships" are traditionally part of the culture of Japan

Okay. So its not about fairness or justice its about "tradition".... Unless its same-sex couples then we ignore tradition and need some fairness and justice.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for same-sex marriage. But I am sick to death of the discrimination and meddling coming from BOTH SIDES of this debate. All of you talk out both sides of your mouths and its damn old. In fact, its ancient. I know of no human society that failed to oppress some group of people, change its mind and then just go on to oppress some other group of people...change its mind again....seemingly for the fun of it.

Disappointing

I think you need to be practical and be prepared for more disappointments. The days of discrimination against LGBT couples under the law in decent countries are coming to an end. Good riddance to those days too.

Anyway, why does it bother you? It doesn’t change my life in the slightest.

Disappointing

Great news. Onwards and upwards, and hopefully one day Japan will bow to the modern day and equal rights, and legalise marriage for two consenting adults of marrying age ( which is 20, or 16 with parents' permission but that's a discussion for another time).

People who live as a couple in a relationship ought to be afforded the same rights as heterosexuals presently are, which include all manner of things from housing, to money, to medical decisions.

It's fairly clear that this is intended for romantic relationships. So your straight guys and brothers don't really need one. This is intended to give public housing rights similar to traditional married couples.

Non-romantic relationships is another question entirely.