Election of gay lawmaker in Japan spurs hopes for same-sex marriage

One politician can’t do that much so hopes should not be raised....

One by one. I feel very optimistic about this.

Why is Abe opposed to gay marriage?   His wife Akie rode in a float at the Pride Parade in Tokyo a few years ago.  She should talk to him.

I’m more interested in the “Destroy NHK” newcomer.

Despite the political opposition, a survey by Japanese advertising giant Dentsu found that 78% of people aged 20 to 60 favoured legalising same-sex marriage, up from 51% of those polled in 2017 by public broadcaster NHK.

This is excellent news, now we have to convince these peole to actually vote next time to really push legalization of same-sex marriage.

Election of gay lawmaker in Japan spurs hopes for same-sex marriage

It spurs my hopes that it will not happen.

Same-sex marriage is illegal and Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has opposed efforts to legalize it.

He'll have to change, eventually.

Merkel wasn't always in favor of it but she changed her mind.

Let consenting adults who love each other get married. It's not going to change the definition of marriage (which is a relatively recent construct, anyway, in humanity's history) and if you don't like it, don't marry someone of your own sex.

Being gay is normal. Don't let the haters tell you otherwise.

It spurs my hopes that it will not happen.

I don't understand. Why would you deny gay people the right to marry?

How will it impact on your life?

I bet most Japanese people actually don't mind gay marriage.

What they will oppose if you ask them, is "if a man marries another man, should he get free health cover and a free pension?" That in simple terms is spousal dependency under shakai hoken. Equal rights for gay marriage must mean this. It is an outdated way of supposedly helping people raise kids. It helps people with no kids, doesn't help the poor (neither spouse will be on shakai hoken), and doesn't help single parents. It poverty traps married women who want to work and rewards those who have no intention of doing so. Giving spousal dependency to gay couples would make it even more ridiculous than it is already.

fwiw, I reckon Akie Abe went on that gay pride march as virtue signalling. I think LGBT are basically a free hit for politicians. The biggest issues in politics are inequality/poverty and the environment, but doing anything serious about them means fighting very deeply vested interests. Nobody loses if you allow gay marriage. Maybe the odd religious nut, that's about all.

Knee-jerk reaction. Primeval fear of being "turned".

Aye. That and the fear of penetration. If you notice, the disgust is always aimed at male relationships, whereas female relationships are fetishized and lusted over.

So, not just homophobia but misogyny, as well.

I've been able to stick to the female wife I've had for ages, no problems.

Stop ramming your sexuality down my throat etc

;-)

Just because one is gay doesn't mean they want the same thing as all other gays, or that all gays even want marriage rights.

Why is it announced that he is gay? This is what I dislike about the LGBT crowd. They wear it like a badge of honor or some kind of attention seeking ploy. I don't give a fat rat's about your sexual preferences. I only care what kind of human you are. Somebody that walks up to me and says, "Hi! I'm gay!" is nothing more than a narcissistic attention seeker.

Why is it announced that he is gay? 

For the same reason they announced that a foreigner was voted into the Diet when it happened.

Should that information have been stifled?

Why is it announced that he is gay?

That's what usually happens, especially in a story relating to same sex marriage.

This is what I dislike about the LGBT crowd. They wear it like a badge of honor or some kind of attention seeking ploy.

I suppose hetero couples posting their wedding photos on instagram, in celebrity magazines etc or just hetero couples holding hands also offends?

I don't give a fat rat's about your sexual preferences.

Clearly, you do. Do you know why gay people refuse to pipe down and hide their sexuality? Because of stories like this

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-48555889

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/22/lgbt-activist-murdered-in-saint-petersburg

Because gay people are routinely told that they are disgusting, un-natural, abominations, that they don't deserve equal rights. Because they are beaten up, spat and and murdered.

I only care what kind of human you are. Somebody that walks up to me and says, "Hi! I'm gay!" is nothing more than a narcissistic attention seeker.

I agree. In all my years, I've never met someone who's said that.

This is what I dislike about the LGBT crowd. They wear it like a badge of honor

Um yeah, because the previous generations were shamed for it.

My forehead hurts from the facepalm.

Why would you deny gay people the right to marry

I hate to say this but marriage is not a right, it's a government sanctioned activity. you may disagree with how the government defines marriage, but it is certainly not a legal right. if it were a right then brothers could marry sisters, adult males could marry pre-pubescent teenagers, etc.

How will it impact on your life?

at the same token, how will it impact on your life because gays are not allowed to marry? actually i'm a firm believer in gay marriage, but i also understand that everyone is entitled to their own thoughts and opinions on this matter. we just can't shun religious people or deny them their beliefs because we disagree with them.

 if it were a right then brothers could marry sisters, adult males could marry pre-pubescent teenagers, etc.

Why this old chestnut? This is not about incest or paedophilia. Why try and link them?

This is about two unrelated, same sex consenting adults getting married.

how will it impact on your life because gays are not allowed to marry?

I'd love to reveal all manner of personal details, anecdotes etc but that tends to bring on a certain type of dialogue that is, shall we say, disruptive to the ebb and flow of these forums.

we just can't shun religious people or deny them their beliefs because we disagree with them.

So, a religious person might be against gay marriage and say, I can't do that. Fine.

But a religious person saying it's against their religion - YOU can't do that. Not so fine, wouldn't you say?

Just because one is gay doesn't mean they want the same thing as all other gays, or that all gays even want marriage rights.

Are you sure this is what you mean? A same-sex couple may not want to get married themselves, but I doubt they wish to deprive people of that right. We have the right to do a lot of things, and although we don't choose to do all of them, we still have the right - we are not deprived of rights for no good reason, as same-sex couples are deprived of the right to marry. I choose not to drive. That doesn't mean I think you shouldn't be allowed to.