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

@Sophoclesthefox

The idea that you should entrust your concept of self, and outsource your sense of what and who you are as a person to the perception of others is the exact opposite of what someone struggling with their identity should do. It’s positively reckless.

Excellent point

I am going to add one last thing as the conversation is not about trans or gay rights in Japan but for cultural reference and womans rights. "the family register The koseki simultaneously fills the function of birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, and the census in other countries. It is based on family rather than each individual. For married couples, only one family name may appear on the koseki, which means that one person has to abandon his or her family name when he or she marries. Usually it is the woman"

But they are legally recognised? They don't cease to legally exist

What specific health needs do transgender people need? If its support with their MH then they have to join the waiting lists like everyone else. I waited just over 4 months (which is a shockingly short amount of time) and then got 6 weeks worth of sessions. They finished but I needed more. So I went back on the waiting list and waited another few months for 6 more sessions. With a different therapist. So we had to start back at the beginning. Then i went back on the waiting list... and so on and so on.

MH provision in this country is woeful. Why does someone who is trans need that support more/quicker than me?

I was also told when I was 15 that I would need hip and/or knee replacements. I'm 36 now and still waiting to be "old enough" .

@WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo

But they are legally recognised? They don't cease to legally exist

What specific health needs do transgender people need? If its support with their MH then they have to join the waiting lists like everyone else. I waited just over 4 months (which is a shockingly short amount of time) and then got 6 weeks worth of sessions. They finished but I needed more. So I went back on the waiting list and waited another few months for 6 more sessions. With a different therapist. So we had to start back at the beginning. Then i went back on the waiting list... and so on and so on.

MH provision in this country is woeful. Why does someone who is trans need that support more/quicker than me?

I was also told when I was 15 that I would need hip and/or knee replacements. I'm 36 now and still waiting to be "old enough" .

Okay well here's the specific healthcare some may require. www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/gender-dysphoria/overview/

Gender expression and gender identity aren't the same. Neither is biological sex and gender identity.
Please explain further.

The main reason that on birth certificates and other documentation their sex is changed is to prevent discrimination.
How could you face discrimination because of what's recorded on your birth certificate? Who would ever have cause to see it?

Why is trans rights in Japan relevent to a UK feminist board?

@GreyhoundG1rl

Gender expression and gender identity aren't the same. Neither is biological sex and gender identity. Please explain further. The main reason that on birth certificates and other documentation their sex is changed is to prevent discrimination. How could you face discrimination because of what's recorded on your birth certificate? Who would ever have cause to see it?

I've sent you the resources to look into it. Because if you are a man and your birth certificate says female you are hate crimed. And on other forms of identification. That's why their sex changes on legal documents.

@Erkrie

Why is trans rights in Japan relevent to a UK feminist board?

I did wonder that myself

Because if you are a man and your birth certificate says female you are hate crimed

What?

I can’t even imagine what you think you mean here. Official documentation can’t be a hate crime. Documentation can’t be a crime. Crikey, what nonsense.

I don't agree with coerced sterilisation or not having any legal entitlement to custody of children born to the relationship, should the biological parent die. But in some respects Japan has it right. I don't think that people should transition while they have minor children - the best interests of the child should come first and it's hard to argue that a transitioning parent wouldn't be massively confusing and unsettling for a child. And Japan will avoid situations surrounding biological females giving birth and then demanding to be recorded as 'father' on the birth certificate and all the ridiculous self ID bs!
Important to remember that Japan is still quite backward when it comes to women's rights, so trans is going to be too far 'out there' to gain wide acceptance.
A cynic might suspect the BBC have done this piece in order to convince the public that trans people have it so much harder than everyone else, even though in Britain they actually don't.

Applesauce 💐

I watched the video.

I didn't realise same sex marriage wasn't yet legal in Japan.

There are times when biological sex is very important. If I request a female HCP, if I am on a female hospital ward, if I were to need a rape crisis centre, therapist, bra fitter, if I were in a relationship with someone their actual sex would be very important to me, if my child were sharing sleeping accommodation, prisons. I don't think it should be OK to pretend you are the opposite sex
Gender, crack on, present as you wish

Because if you are a man and your birth certificate says female you are hate crimed
What a truly bizarre claim. I'm trying to be polite to avoid deletion, so best if I leave it there.

I would go so fas as to suggest that the UK is probably one of the best places in the world to be trans.
Is it number 1 or perfect? Of course not. But generally, a trans person in the UK will have a much easier time, with a lot more rights and protections, than in the majority of countries.

Ok. So a transperson (or is it trans person, is there a difference?) needs to be referred to GIDS which might have a long waiting time.

I need to be referred to the pain clinic for my hips and knees. I need intensive therapy for longer than 6 weeks. I actually need quite a lot of tests done for my physical health issues. All of which have a waiting list. Some of which are years long.

What's the difference? There isn't enough money for every thing. It's shit. But it is what it is. We have to wait. And in the meantime things get worse. On the rare occasion I actually get to see a Dr they dismiss most of my symptoms.

No of course no one should be coerced/ pressured into surgery

Japan is a very very different culture. There are other issues as well

What about Iran? Option there if you're gay or lesbian is transition including surgery, or be put to death.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29832690

In fact in many countries it's whether by law or by society that being gender non conforming/ gay or lesbian / present as opposite sex will result in imprisonment/ brutality / death.

Out of interest what are trans orgs in the UK doing about this? I must admit I've not seen much but I've only really seen stonewall site etc

Elsewhere in the world there's the issue of women being forcibly sterilised (for ethnic cleansing).

This type of behaviour around the world is obviously a massive human rights issue. I see it all as one thing really, coming from the same place. And I'd prefer to discuss across the piece rather than focusing on one group in one country.

@soolazy

I watched the video.

I didn't realise same sex marriage wasn't yet legal in Japan.

Japan also ranks 121st out of 153 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report so it's not exactly a progressive place. Separate surnames for married couples are not allowed, wearing heels is mandated at the workplace if you're a woman (the labour minister said heels are "necessary" in 2019), many women end up as housewives when they get married, harassment and sex crimes are rampant and rarely prosecuted, and so forth.

As "your sex doesn't determine your gender", there seems to be no need for anyone to change their legal sex.

Because if you are a man and your birth certificate says female you are hate crimed.

Ah the verb "to hate crime"

🦡🌈🤍

Basically (mainly when you are young) doctors will require you to live as your gender for around two years to ensure it's the correct decision. This doesn't mean stereotypically. But just by doing basic things such as using pronouns, having others refer to you as your gender, etc.

So living as 'your gender' doesn't require any changes on the part of the person living as 'their gender', but it does require coercing others to use opposite sex pronouns or non-binary pronouns or some other 'neopronouns' when they talk about you. Have I got that right? The person doesn't have to to anything at all apart from tell other people how to refer to them?

Gender expression and gender identity aren't the same. Neither is biological sex and gender identity.

So are gender expression and gender identity related in any way to biological sex, or are they just sort of random? If gender expression and gender identity aren't related to biological sex, why aren't they just called 'expression' or 'identity'? Why the 'gender' bit?

@Manteiga

As "your sex doesn't determine your gender", there seems to be no need for anyone to change their legal sex.

Good point!

Gender non confirmity in the UK is I'd say fairly well accepted compared to a lot of places and we have a history of both men and women adopting the attire / styling of the opposite sex as well.

I think this is part of the reason that in the UK the idea that a man would 'dress as a woman' for X reason is not unlikely as men do it here for all sorts of reasons and have done for an awfully long time.

It's clear ASugarr has learned to recite a lot of things from leaflets. Its like life is a strange crossword puzzle they know the answers too.

your sex doesn't determine your gender because sex is a biological reality whereas gender is whatever imaginary quality someone declares it is.