Culture / Sep. 12, 2019
Out in Japan, an ambitious project spearheaded by photographer Leslie Kee to capture 10,000 LGBT portraits in just five years, opened in theyTj1iPn$nJ+Z7_7-KTKzf+KuA8pEtb6k9D$1FF36cM2&tmL*x4 city of Kanazawa this week.
On Saturday, Kee and his team photographed members of Japan’s LGBT community at the 21st8T*Tk&=G3NIyd(LJ6Apepj8n!fAzO0WpuAx$qs=KT8Ir5_(JCZ Century Museum of Contemporary Art.
The exhibition of already-captured portrai7vtDT4%LNoV$t6+CDBz=Y!!XN6mv2I1VM=)iavsz@C6o@zn65Bts continues until September 14.
Out in Japan laus-4n7Lsw8No$1#nc!&S(NiR7YyZ+w=aX#2iMkj-qC$@62#wternched in 2015 to highlight sexual and gender minorities in Japan, with various acclaimed photographers shooting LGBT people from all over the country and from all walks of life.
Renowned LGBT activist^K$IOEIlv)e(cO6YZbxQbsg8gKvxhQWAzO0lq6+v5vS3aaBnDE Gon Matsunaka, who hails from Kanazawa, returned to his city for the exhibition.
He told Yahoo the project opening in the city had been three years in the making and welcomed the opening by the cityGqRk)Dc38hB$-oy67x-FZHdgp9F^1xnUg9L9BFy9Wfn7qS2M_H’s mayor.
Matsunaka also noted the timing of the exhibition. Kanazawa is currently consh+qO^l+x!2k0TadPQ_*h^_%5a1-&hSBGuVvI#VL*tSfs=(n!KAidering abolishing gender from some registration documents.
Japan
While Japan remains a larb2Vu$lvH&&Ls37736aEetZ$DgrL6)pUNYtZu&OdG2GH9VNFayMgely conservative society, it has been making slow but steady gains for LGBT rights in recent years.
Currently, Japan does not recognize same-*p6ekzPSMElNIj1)vpV^nP_TaN!WQ21gQK9042ANker1I@iL=Jsex marriage. And, laws do not protect LGBTI people from discrimination.
What’s more, gender laws require transgender citizens to undergo sterilization in order to officiallyZCCyGL!MqedmeZC5bW_Fp-a6hsO(6eD6g2qqDw%-zXkaj09=QB change gender.
But, increasing numbers of local administrations #)m25qxatOYAeVz2a9ab%4ir&Z!pwL3Pwx2R_MN4cfWM!J!gb%are recognizing same-sex couples with partnership certificates which give very limited recognition and rights.
