The Situation for Trans Men in Japan

[Shizuku]

No trans person should have to have surgery in order to be legally recognised.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-56670164

That's in Japan. This is the UK. I don't think anyone should be forced to get surgery no. Legally recognised as transgender or legally recognised as the opposite sex?

No one is forced to be sterilised in the uk for any reason. Perhaps post on a Japanese forum?

Well they don’t here so not sure why this is relevant

Agreed - no one should ever be coerced into surgery or medication to receive legal protection and rights appropriate to being transgender.
(This is a separate question to whether, regardless of surgery, anyone should be deemed to have 'changed sex')

Don't you have to have a gender recognition certificate in this country to be recognised as male? Criteria for being awarded this certificate is stringent, as it should be, and currently only 5000 people hold one.

I think the requirement should be strict before you can be legally recognised as the opposite sex. Otherwise we head down the slippery slope towards self-ID.

What is the situation for trans women in Japan?

What about gender non confirming people?

What about non binary people?

To be fully inclusive you shouldn't leave out other groups.

What actual difference would not being "legally" recognised as transgender mean? Not being allowed to choose to be incarcerated in a women's prison? Not being allowed to use women's toilets?
Tell me the other things that are absolutely vital to trans people, Shizuku?
Sane sex marriage is allowed, so there's no disadvantage there. I'm flummoxed.

I’m pretty sure Japan doesn’t allow you to change ‘sex’ if you have minor children either.

Yet another example of how trans rights in the UK are more developed and more humane than in many other countries. A cause for celebration perhaps.

@GreyhoundG1rl

What actual difference would not being "legally" recognised as transgender mean? Not being allowed to choose to be incarcerated in a women's prison? Not being allowed to use women's toilets? Tell me the other things that are absolutely vital to trans people, Shizuku? Sane sex marriage is allowed, so there's no disadvantage there. I'm flummoxed.

I've no idea what extra rights are afforded to trans people in the first place beyond human rights. If this is just whingeing that you can't legally be recognised as the opposite sex without undergoing surgery, well... good. I don't think it should be easy.

In fact, I don't think you should ever be legally recognised as such. You should be treated fairly like anyone else but what sex based rights do you want? The right to medical treatment you wouldn't need as you're not actually a (for example) woman and so you won't get cervical cancer. The right to be shortlisted for women's literary prizes (as we've seen in recent weeks). Maybe the right to pretend you're having a period (thread from earlier today).

But as this story is from Japan, not the UK, I don't really have anything else to say about it.

Completely agree. Personally I think it's bad enough in this country with how little transgender healthcare we have and having people wait four to five years just to be seen by a specialist. However to be forced into having surgery just to be legally recognized as a man is terrible. Utterly terrible.

So as not to exclude women whilst looking at health services and access to female specific health care and access to that health care in 5 mins online I found out that...

** The morning after pills it not available currently in Japan.

** A report looking at maternal deaths between 2010-2014 said

"Maternal deaths were frequently caused by obstetric haemorrhage (23%), brain disease (16%), amniotic fluid embolism (12%), cardiovascular disease (8%) and pulmonary disease (8%). The Committee considered that it was impossible to prevent death in 51% of the cases, whereas they considered prevention in 26%, 15% and 7% of the cases to be slightly, moderately and highly possible, respectively. It was difficult to prevent maternal deaths due to amniotic fluid embolism and brain disease. In contrast, half of the deaths due to obstetric haemorrhage were considered preventable, because the peak duration between the initial symptoms and initial cardiopulmonary arrest was 1–3 h.
Conclusions A range of measures, including individual education and the construction of good relationships among regional hospitals, should be established in the near future, to improve primary care for patients with maternal haemorrhage and to save the lives of mothers in Japan."

** Abortion aren't free and the procedure requires a man to be present - usually the father but you can pretend

"Something that might be shocking to women from western countries is that Japan requires the consent of the father for an abortion to be performed. The only exception to this is if you can document that the father is missing, deceased, or that the pregnancy is a result of rape. In reality, however, the clinic will not verify who the actual father is, so if you are not comfortable with involving that father, you can ask (or bring along) a male friend to sign the consent form instead.

First trimester abortions (up to 12 weeks under the Japanese system) cost around ¥100,000. Second-trimester abortions can cost ¥200,000 or more due to the greater complexity of the process and the additional hospital services involved."

Of course all the above is relevant to trans men in Japan too, so I'm not excluding them.)

The morning after pills it not available currently in Japan

I took them in Japan, like 15 years ago, so not sure about your info here. Had to go to a gyno to get them though

@ASugarr

Completely agree. Personally I think it's bad enough in this country with how little transgender healthcare we have and having people wait four to five years just to be seen by a specialist. However to be forced into having surgery just to be legally recognized as a man is terrible. Utterly terrible.

What exactly is transgender healthcare? Specifically?

@UsedUpUsername

The morning after pills it not available currently in Japan

I took them in Japan, like 15 years ago, so not sure about your info here. Had to go to a gyno to get them though

But had to pay for them, which is perfectly reasonable imo

Transgender health care is in regards to having support as a transgender person. This can be from having any consultation with a specialist to having any treatment like hormones, surgery and more. To begin with you have to leave as the gender you are for at least two years (which makes sense) and only then do you get put onto a waiting list for support. This can take yet another two to three years unless you can afford to go privately.

@ASugarr

Completely agree. Personally I think it's bad enough in this country with how little transgender healthcare we have and having people wait four to five years just to be seen by a specialist. However to be forced into having surgery just to be legally recognized as a man is terrible. Utterly terrible.

What do you think a man is? Or a woman?

Why do you think someone should be legally recognised as something they are not?

I won't get into my personal views. I don't wish to. However scientists and doctors already confirmed that your sex doesn't determine your gender.

To begin with you have to leave as the gender you are for at least two years (which makes sense)

What does this mean?

I agree that no one should ever be compelled to have surgery, for any reason.

That’s a shocking list ohholyjesus. Japan is not really a very progressive place.

Waiting lists are shit for healthcare.

I’ve had 2 perineal reconstructions so far after a violent rape, and have been waiting for 18 months (with probably another 2 years to go) for a sacral nerve stimulator because despite them I’ve remained doubly incontinent.

Oh, applesauce, that’s awful I’m so sorry.

@ASugarr

I won't get into my personal views. I don't wish to. However scientists and doctors already confirmed that your sex doesn't determine your gender.

But gender is an indefinable nebulous thing that most people claim they don't actually have. So why the burning need for a "specialist" on the NHS? And why would this allow you to be legally recognised as being the opposite sex?

@applesaucespoon

Waiting lists are shit for healthcare.

I’ve had 2 perineal reconstructions so far after a violent rape, and have been waiting for 18 months (with probably another 2 years to go) for a sacral nerve stimulator because despite them I’ve remained doubly incontinent.

I'm sorry to hear that. As someone with mental health issues I agree, waiting lists are currently so long for many conditions.

Sorry, applesauce. Puts this nonsense in perspective...