Aimee Walker
A Japanese law means that transgender people must be sterilised before they can legally transition.
The 2004 ruling states that those who want to register their gender change must ‘appear to have parts that resemble the genital organs’.
The bill then says they must have their original reproductive organs removed.
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Japanese court officials say the law is for structural purposes and argue it will help reduce confusion within society.
However, Human Rights Watch said the law is a ‘gross violation of rights’.
The group’s report reads that it ‘goes against the times and deviates far from best global practices’.
“Japan’s government needs urgently to address and fundamentally revise the legal recognition process that remains anchored to a diagnostic framework that fails to meet international standards,” it reads.
The report also slammed the country for being out of line with international medical standards. They said still defining being transgender as a ‘disorder’ is not right.
For transgender people, there are many obstacles to overcome when breaking traditional gender roles. And it’s made more difficult by the fact they struggle to open up to their families.
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