In order to fit into society’s traditional belief on gender identities, you should be either male or female only. That is why people who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community have experienced to be ridiculed, discriminated, and abused. Despite the continuous fight for equality, the sexual stigma still exists, and more often than not, it affects their emotions which leads to anxiety, depression, and distress.
One of the recent efforts to reduce prejudice is the new ordinance implemented in the Mie Prefecture in Japan that prohibits “outing” or exposing a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity to a third party without the latter’s consent.
According to Nikkan Sports News, Governor Hidetaka Suzuki recently announced the decision in a plenary session to dispute discrimination against the sexual minorities. He explained that they aim to lead a society that promotes respect for each other.
In an interview with the news agency, Governor Suzuki said, “there could be instability in family relationships and working relationships, and disruption of human relationships with friends, leading to isolation.
Moreover, this is also the governor’s way of avoiding the same thing that happened in South Korea last May wherein a group of people got infected with coronavirus after attending an LGBT gathering. However, conducting extensive testing and contact tracing got a little difficult because of the fear that it might expose their sexual orientation.
As of now, the punishment for the law is yet to be determined in the future conference of the officials.
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