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Japan Upholds Law to Sterilize Trans Citizens

Japan Upholds Law to Sterilize Trans Citizens

There is an archaic rule on the books in Japan that demands the forced sterilization of trans people. The Japanese Supreme Court just unanimously upheld keeping that law in place.

Japan Today explains that as of 2003, trans people must “permanently lack” functioning reproductive glands in order to be officially recognized as the gender they identify with. Trans people must also be single, have no children under 20, and undergo a psychiatric evaluation. 

Upset queer folks and allies took to Twitter to express their anger with the decision, and also to point out that this is also still an issue in many European countries.

The trial was brought to light by a trans man in Japan, and has been going on for five years.

“It is unthinkable in this day and time that the law requires a sex-change operation to change gender,” said Tomoyasu Oyama, lawyer of Takakito Usui, the man who brought the case to trial. “When the law was established 15 years ago, LGBT people had to make a bitter decision and swallow the conditions to pave a narrow way for official change of gender. With this decision, I hope lawmakers will change the law to support the wishes of the LGBT community.”

Although this law has been widely criticized by human rights groups and many LGBTQ conditions in Japan have improved, this is still a huge step backwards for trans folks and the community worldwide.

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