Japan election manifestos free LGBT rights from political closet

@timtak. Kanako Otsuji was openly lesbian and a member of the Osaka Prefectural Assembly. Whether you would classify her as "standing up for lesbians" I don't know but I think I would. She ran for the Diet but failed.

There is a long tradition of tolerance towards homosexual male love in samurai, thespians, preists, the pleasure quarters, television personalities, and fiction (e.g. Saikaku) especially manga especially for women (Bishouneai, Yaoi) culture but, lesbians have a very rough time in Japan I think. A woman with overt sexual desire is traditionslly J-bad enough, but women with desire for other women are not meant to exist. I wonder if a politician could stand up for lesbians and get voted in.

A family is a family, blood-related or not. If trying to promote families, it doesn't matter what type of family it is.

If responsible parents want to have kids by adoption, surrogate, or otherwise, as long as they take care of 'em, that's good for society. Goodness knows there's more than enough kids out there who need loving responsible families.

shallots

Gay people can have families. The logic here is rubbish. More gay families will increase population while family promotion and gay rights are not a zero sum proposition. Doing both will increase population that much more. Think again my friend. Logic wins the day!

Ummm, Nature demonstrated that to bear babies one woman and one man are required. Period. Two men and two women can make tricks with adopting or buying babies from surrogate mothers, but they can not make babies themselves. Homosexuality is the dead end of mankind.

"Think again my friend. Logic wins the day!"

First off just stating facts....you can talk till you are blue in the face here about social issues but change wont come from you. It will come from within.

Regarding LGBT issues, the changes have come light years faster than anything else I have seen in over 3 decades in living here. Until about 3 or 4 years ago no one was aware of anything, now many are, and even the local TV news had a section on the Pink Dot community here in Okinawa, and two couples were interviewed. That was a first in my time here.

When I refereed to change taking a generation I was being optimistic, and people better get used to the fact that laws here take time to change and will not happen when you hold a sledge hammer over someone's heads.

IN fact the LGBT community of today is really fighting for the rights of their grandchildren.

shallots:

Yes, and I was agreeing with you!!

@Pukey2 Yes. That was my point.

akula:

Whilst I don't support the persecution of gay people, given's Japan's dire demographics, the promotion of the family unit should be first and foremost.

You don't support their persecution? How mighty kind of you.

As for the majority of adults who aren't having kids, it's not because they're gay - they either don't want to or can't afford to. Nobody should be forced to have children in a modern civilized country. And people certainly shouldn't be forced into a loveless, sham marriage.

The global population is over 7 billion. Does this planet need more people?

Yubaru/Shallots:

Yeah we should just all give up on everything. If people took that attitude, we would not be seeing same sex marriage in most western nations now. In Asia, I see Taiwan getting there very soon. Followed perhaps by Nepal.

@Yubaru

Problems with the registration laws, adoption, surrogate mothers and other issues

Yes. Seems like a host of anti-population growth policies lying around...LGBT rights may take a generation as well. Meanwhile, bigoted views of what is a "family unit" and denying LGBT rights will do nothing to promote population growth. If you believe otherwise, how so? On the other hand, as I said, providing rights to LGBT people would assist population (were it possible in this change-allergic society), in a small way at least. We might also want to take up the question of whether helping one child is worth it. So, allowing gay families to be foster parents might give love and hope to one kid. Would Akula be comfortable denying that benefit to a child in need? Yes, I know...i can't be done...advancing rights is a pipe dream...let's all give up...

can anyone provide me the info of how many lgbt community in Japan..i wonder whether it has effect on the election result

No specific leglislation is the best specific legislation. Even if maps of gay rights in the world often list it underneath the death penalty, as if governmental disinterest is somehow worse than governmental hatred. Which reminds me, I have to see if there's any non-secondhand copies of the original Tomodachi Life knocking about...

More gay families will increase population while family promotion and gay rights are not a zero sum proposition

While I admire your enthusiasm for promotion of LGBT rights and gay people having families the statement that "more gay families will increase the population", unfortunately for here in Japan, is not going to happen very soon.

Problems with the registration laws, adoption, surrogate mothers and other issues have to be dealt with first. Those will take at least a generation, maybe more, to be truly accepted here. But if registration/citizenship issues are not dealt with first, then it's a pipe dream.

@Akula "...the family unit should be first and foremost." Gay people can have families. The logic here is rubbish. More gay families will increase population while family promotion and gay rights are not a zero sum proposition. Doing both will increase population that much more. Think again my friend. Logic wins the day!

This is probably Abe's wife's work. Two years ago she appeared on a float along with some drag queens in the Tokyo Pride Parade. Totally gay Godai would like to marry his partner.

But there’s the calculation that doing nothing looks bad overseas

Yes, I have seen that calculation many times. It seems to provide the main reason for signing up to a lot of conventions and treaties with true liberal conviction bringing up the rear (no pun intended).

Whilst I don't support the persecution of gay people, given's Japan's dire demographics, the promotion of the family unit should be first and foremost.

Sorry, but before the promotion of any family unit, the promotion of basic human rights for ALL should be promoted!

Whilst I don't support the persecution of gay people, given's Japan's dire demographics, the promotion of the family unit should be first and foremost.

Hey give Naha it's kudos here please! It was 2nd in the nation!

Naha City Government declared Sunday itself a city that respects gender diversity at the ‘Pink Dot Okinawa’ event. The Pink Dot Okinawa is an annual event aiming at making the society better for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. Naha City is the second in the nation to declare itself an LGBT-friendly City after the Yodogawa district in Osaka. At the event, Naha City Mayor Mikiko Shiroma read out the declaration statement, and stressed that the city will work towards getting rid of gender discrimination and prejudice of any kind, and aims to become a city where everyone can live with peace of mind.

http://www.japanupdate.com/2015/07/naha-declares-itself-lgbt-friendly-at-pink-dot-event/