A
row of cameras waits outside the Shibuya ward office. Security officers
try to contain the gaggle of journalists, but more keep coming as the
clock ticks closer to opening time on Thursday morning.
The
nondescript city office is familiar to any couple seeking a marriage
certificate in Shibuya. But no couple like Koyuki Higashi and Hiroko
Matsuhara has ever walked through the office doors.
When
the two women appear, smiling and holding hands, camera clicks and
flashes follow them as they go inside, where cameras are not allowed.
Higashi, a Japanese model and television personality turned LGBT activist, wears a dress and heels.
Her
partner of four years and fellow activist, Hiroko Matsuhara wears a
colorful scarf and dark suit. Both hold hands and smile as they enter
the ward office at 8:22 a.m. and leave exactly 20 minutes later carrying
Japan's first-ever certificate recognizing a same sex union.
Japanese couple Hiroko Masuharda and Koyuki Higashi celebrate in front of Shibuya's Hachiko statue on November 5, 2015.
"I'm so happy," Higashi says. "When they gave us the certificate, I cried. Our friends cried."
Applicants
must be at least 20 and fill out a notarized document promising to
protect each other and live together with trust and love. The
certificate has an official stamp. But businesses, hospitals, landlords,
and other entities are not legally bound to acknowledge it.
Furthermore,
this kind of certificate is only available for residents in two of
Tokyo's 23 wards -- and nowhere else in Japan. Mostly symbolic, the
certificate is supposed to encourage businesses to grant rights
equivalent to marriage.
Lingering discrimination
Fighting for gay rights in Japan 02:04
In
Japan, same-sex couples have difficulty finding housing, opening joint
bank accounts, and can be barred from seeing their loved one in the
hospital after an accident or illness.
Despite
recognition and protection from some local governments, Japan still has
no national laws protecting LGBT people from discrimination. Coming out
can mean getting fired, evicted, or denied healthcare. And there's no
legal recourse.
Shibuya's mayor Ken
Hasebe, who campaigned for LGBT rights, calls the certificates a
"landmark step" for his ward, considered one of the youngest and hippest
in Tokyo. But he admits, it's just one small step for a community in
Japan who often describe feeling "invisible."
Higashi,
who has openly addressed her own childhood sexual abuse, now serves one
of Japan's most prominent LGBT activists. She and Matsuhara were the
only couple to publicly receive a certificate Thursday. Others were
expected to receive their documents privately.
The
ward office is a short walk from Tokyo's Shibuya crossing, where for
now a large rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBT movement, greets
commuters leaving the train station.
Even
the iconic statue of Hachiko, Japan's famed loyal dog, is decked out in
a rainbow sash. Yet the rainbow colors, and accompanying message of
LGBT inclusion, are unfamiliar to many Japanese passing through the
world famous intersection.
Vocal opposition
"I just don't understand it," says 34-year-old Tokyo resident Shizuka Watanabe. "I prefer a normal relationship."
"They
can't produce children. So in principle, I oppose it," says 83-year-old
Tetsuyuki Akiyoshi. "But in today's world, I think it's okay to accept
those kind of people."
On Higashi and Matsuhara's blog, anonymous comments have been far more severe.
"If
you are asking for diversity, you must support the diversity to hate
abnormal perverts like you," wrote one user described only as a Public
Servant. "I don't care if you stay out of my sight."
Activists
point out Japan does not have widespread religious opposition to LGBT
issues, but simply a lack of knowledge. Being gay is rarely discussed
openly in modern Japan. Many LGBT people continue to live secret lives.
Long road to acceptance
Japanese
schools are slowly beginning to discuss LGBT issues. In April, Japan's
education ministry advised schools to pay greater attention to the needs
of "sexual minority" students -- a stance further backed last month by
Japan's new education minister Hiroshi Hase.
A
2014 survey by Inochi Risupekuto Howaito Ribon, a Tokyo-based group
aimed at preventing LGBT suicide, found 68% of LGBT youth in elementary,
junior high and high school have experienced school bullying and 32%
have contemplated suicide.
This week, Japanese network Fuji TV will debut the nation's first ever television drama featuring a lesbian love story.
Thursday's
historic moment at the Shibuya ward office is making headlines across
Japan. The island nation of 127 million people has a futuristic image
but societal views on gender, minorities, and LGBT rights that may seem
outdated when compared to the United States and other western countries.
"We
are very privileged to come out publicly," Matsuhara says. "But lots of
people can't. And they suffer. I hope this will change things."
No comments:
Post a Comment