U.S. envoy to Japan highlights acceptance of LGBTQ people

Emanuel's defense of gay rights overseas is in line with President Joe Biden's fierce support for the LGBTQ community.

You know what else would greatly help the LGBTQ community as well as many others? A democratic socialist health care system like in most other advanced nations.

But that would conflict with their fierce support of neo-liberal capital first ideology. While this costs them nothing.

said that gays and lesbians should be acknowledged as part of an inclusive society.

No problem with that, just normal and fair, but when a 195cm 120kg man is competing against far smaller women claiming he is a woman, well perhaps some common sense needs to be used.

When a transgender woman goes online boasting that they can use the "menstrual cramps" excuse ( an actual painful situation many born women have to endure monthly) so they can leave work when they feel like it despite the boss ( a female in this case) knowing "she" is transgender but by law cannot say anything and must act like "she" is a born woman and has a menstrual cycle. We may need to review a few things.

Nothing against a politician accepting a group and advocating for it, mind you! Happens all the time. But Kyodo news can't go wrong next time someone interviews him, to ask him about women. In a non-biologist sort-of-way, of course. Also Black women's issues, too. Seems like he has a history of advocating for one area, and avoiding the issues important to the others. For example, https://chicagoreader.com/blogs/mayor-rahm-emanuel-flaked-out-on-the-womens-march-on-chicago/ . And https://theintercept.com/2019/03/06/rahm-emanual-mayor-black-women/ . Also https://www.ontheissues.org/Rahm_Emanuel.htm .

But, remember, he is a tried and true politician. And most are comfortable riding the top of a fence, and jumping down on either side (sometimes the same side at the same time!) when opportunity presents itself strategic.

For gods sake - the LGBTQ flag isnt a rainbow.

Even the non LGBTQ people are confused about that.

Wake up !

Yes, this is important.

Even though over 50% of the people in the US don't think it is right. Some states need to legislate morality. Last thing anyone needs is old men deciding who they can love and how love between consenting adults can happen. And if they want to enter into a long term, say lifetime, agreement to stay together, I can't see anything wrong with that. That union deserves legal standing.

Heck, if 3-20 consenting adults want to be in a lifetime agreement for the purpose of love, raising a family, then that's fine too. Only old men would want limits on love.

Japan has had no laws against homosexuality since 1880. Japan could have wagged it finger at "backwards" western countries but did not.

When I first visited Japan in the last 80's there were a lot of gay American men who were living in Japan because there was never any sort of real anti-gay movement and they could live their lives freely and free from the "hateful" Christians that the US was and is plagued with.

In traditional Japanese thinking, everyone is straight and engaging in gay activities was just "playing around". You father would say "Stop playing around, and get married!" The main point of the gay movement in Japan is to let people know that gay is a type of person. Fortunately, we have never been burdened with gay as a deadly sin that sends you to hell. But that does not mean that our situation has been any easier. So thank Ambassador Rahm Emanuel for your support and bringing attention to this matter!

Ole Rahm is channeling the 1960's it seems. Following the Democratic playbook, he tries to paint a stark picture about gays in the U.S. that is far from reality.

He should be asked about efforts in the U.S. to expose kids under 8 to instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation. Sadly, Disney is promoting it and shareholders are paying the price.

He does not speak for all Americans and should not represent himself as the voice of America.

Meaningless distraction.

Societies everywhere have more important things to think about than who or what anyone does in their bedroom.

Who is he to lecture Japan on how to act anyway.

Rahm Emanuel is a failed politician with an agenda of promoting only his brother's "woke" film business.

Enough of this guy already, send him to Sado island and educate him on the culture and values of Japan.

Stop pushing the U.S. agenda down the throats of the Japanese.

@gokai

Good post. Refreshing to read on threads like these.

The only effect this type of statement has is triggering those who think they have a say about other people's right to exist. Quite obviously, it works.

Societies everywhere have more important things to think about than who or what anyone does in their bedroom.

Being LGBTQ goes way beyond what people "do in their bedrooms", but you know that. To some, it might be unimportant, but to those who don't have the same right to spend their lives with their partners with all that entails it's important. "Now is not the time" is the oldest talking point in the book to shut down talk of any social change. It's typically used by those unaffected by those changes to silence the voices of people facing real-life issues.

Shut it, Rahm.

YotomayaToday  12:57 pm JST

The only effect this type of statement has is triggering those who think they have a say about other people's right to exist. Quite obviously, it works

No one is saying they don't have the right to exist, please don't exaggerate.

But to try and pretend a 195cm 120 kg man with a penis is a woman and can fairly compete against women, is not logical or reality.

When a Transgender walks into a women's hair removal salon and demands to be treated as a woman and have male genitalia hair removal by women that are not even trained to do mail parts and specifically work in an all female environment, we have a problem with boundaries, common sense, and especially respect towards actual born females!

Most gays and especially lesbians are now tired of the 3 other groups BTQ.

The LG have made great moves forward in being accepted as equals but all that is being undone by the BTQ that don't want but want special.

If a man with full sight said tomorrow that he considers himself blind and will compete in the blind disabled sports, we would say that is unacceptable.

But a man with full male attributes declares himself a woman after 3 years as a failed men's competitive swimmer and suddenly he is the top "female" NCAA swimmer!

And this is supposed to be acceptable and normal?!

Top female athletes like Martina Navratilova a lesbian is now labeled "TERF" (transphobic, extreme, radical, feminist) for pointing out the absurdity of men competing as women.

I’ve no problem with lesbians, gays, and bi-sexuals.I’ve known them all and never had a problem . Whether they had a problem with me or not I do not know, but I suspect none.

Transexuals I may have seen, but how does one differentiate between a “bona fide” transexual and your ordinary, every day cross-dresser? No trouble with them.

However, there is a growing feeling among lesbians, gays, and bisexuals - as reported in British sources at least - that their (LGB) cause - acceptance and legal rights - has been hijacked by a few trans activists under the LGBTQ+ (+++) banner and does not represent them. Writers who say as much are defamed.

It’s time to consider the “LGBTQ+ community” not only as spreaders of misinformation but also as political gangsters.

@Matthew Hopkins

I've spent some time in London as well and thought it was on the LGBTQ-friendly side. Little did I know how the Tory government would eventually discriminate against trans people.

I don't know, but the"vocal" part of the LGBTQ community seems to me like a strawman. Yes, there are entitled morons in every movement, but seeing the comments under any article addressing the issue makes it clear which side is more vocal. What's more, things like marriage equality, inclusion and acceptance of trans and intersex people doesn't affect you if you're straight and cis gender. That's why I always find it alarming when people go out of their way to voice their opposition to these people having the same rights as them.

Perhaps LGBTQ (why leave out the T?) rights were not discussed in the past, which made the majority feel like everything was fine. But how much consideration was given to people who couldn't marry their partners, couldn't receive gender-affirming treatment and couldn't raise children? If you're discriminated against, you learn to pick your battles. Most non-Japanese living in Japan must be aware of that. If you aren't on the receiving end of discrimination and others voicing their concerns bothers you, it might be could to ask yourself why that is.

@Antiquesaving

Lots to unpack there. I don't know how many trans or intersex people you know in real life, but the ones I've met never wanted anything else but not being treated with scorn.

Yes, if we accept that gender is a spectrum, gendered sports stops making sense. But why does Caster Semenya get disqualified from women's sports for having too much testosterone and Michael Phelps celebrated for having extremely large hands? Both are a genetic coincidence beyond their control. And no, "men" don't compete as women. For example, the IOC has strict guidelines on testosterone levels over an extensive period of time. Hence Semenya's disqualification. They are intersex, but by the standards of this comment's section "experts", they would only qualify as a woman.

As for beauty salons, I don't know the answer as I'm not a beautician. But not knowing the answer doesn't justify dismissing their concerns, the workers' as well as potential customers.

Finally, labelling trans women as "men" is denying their existence as the humans they are. Which is why my statement is not an exaggeration. Comparing them to someone with good eyesight claiming to be blind is beyond condescending. There is extensive research on why some people turn out to be transgender, non-binary or intersex. There is no evidence that points to misrepresenting one's eyesight being anything else than delusion.

The fact you need labels on everything is already a problem,

Don't know how to address these issues without using "labels". Thinking about it, "men" and "women" are labels as well.

sorry but a woman with a penis is a man and showing up on a date saying they are a woman isn't going to change that

This is actually a really good point and shows why discussions of trans people are often limited to trans women, not trans men as men don't feel threatened by the former.

For example, the IOC has strict guidelines on testosterone levels over an extensive period of time. Hence Semenya's disqualification. They are intersex, but by the standards of this comment's section "experts", they would only qualify as a woman.

You need to update your information, even under the old guidelines it was 12 months under 5 Mol/l which is still well over twice the level of 99% of all born females with 3Mol/l being considered extremely high and would trigger an investigation!

Then we need to add in equal size to equal size a born male has higher bone density and it takes 10 years of uninterrupted hormone therapy to reverse that, born males have higher blood volume, higher hemoglobin and larger hearts than an equal size born female and no amount of hormones or even reassignment surgery will change those factors.

As for beauty salons, I don't know the answer as I'm not a beautician. But not knowing the answer doesn't justify dismissing their concerns, the workers' as well as potential customers.

Are you serious? " Beauty salons" ????

Genital hair removal isn't the same as a beauty salon, incase you didn't notice but males a female genitalia are very different,

Going into a genital hair removal place for women and demanding that the staff do hair removal on male genitalia is not only unacceptable it is arrogant.

And the transgender community sees nothing wrong with this demand.

It also sees nothing wrong with demanding access to all nude women only spas.

Sorry but when my wife , her sister and their mother go to a all female all nude spa the one thing they are not interested in is a penis and scrotum dangling around them during this time.

If this is to difficult for the transgender community to understand then the lgbtq will break up soon because I do not know a single lesbian friend interested in seeing male genitalia when at a spa or on a date!

@Yotomaya

Of course, people can voice whatever they want as long as it doesn't hurt others

Well, this is exactly the problem, women are hurt, this is why sane people like Antiquesaving explain what the problem is with trans. His explanations are very clear and as usual the only 2 answers we get is : "bigot" and "this is so unfair as not all trans people are bad".

Well, not all men are bad either but still we have single sex spaces and separate categories in sports for safety, privacy or fairness.

If caring for safety, fairness and privacy is now being a bigot or a TERF, then be it.

Gender is not a spectrum and people cannot change sex.

Trans people can play sports in their own 3rd, separate category or in their own sex category. Same for single sex spaces. This is a fair solution that ensures privacy and safety of all the women.