Culture / Sep. 12, 2019
Out in Japan, an ambitious project spearheaded by photographer Leslie Kee to capture 10,000 LGBT portraits in jusRC5ZR5EEnyd4Mg-Tpl*AZHQMuM)18cFmur&S3l^v2h*CxfYV+yt five years, opened in the city of Kanazawa this week.
On Saturday, Kee and his team photographed members of Japan’s LGBT community at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporar=MdKPn4)P!bSn27cTEF!P@9^Tqa6cgV*Y@S_z9Jf4X+5jXvvkmy Art.
The exhibition of already-captured portraityxlCr@RAw+wB-1%nbloI)hxBp)V4SKdRIHAf%AwIICmpAAHXMDs continues until September 14.
Out in Japan launched in 2015 to highlight sexual and gender minorities in Japan, with various acclaimed photographers shooting LGBT people from all over thMG1Wtyj05sxZcHcD$U0CP_ntoX&EC+x*68c4lLuELtvOAQ*CEJe country and from all walks of life.
Renowned LGBT activist Gon Matsunaka, who hails from Kanazawa, returned to his city for the exhi0x(+)+euB3qSTcANv^b7lVSK#DW5dIwViLQJB7NH#=TgMied!cbition.
He told Yahoo the project opening in eDAsTnrMdhct&71=gGSVv+52Q0visX@Elj=&gH6@naMQY&b&=Kthe city had been three years in the making and welcomed the opening by the city’s mayor.
Matsunaka also noted the timing of the exhibition. Kanazawa is curreFOac9AFFx(&Bws+i4)_vMQ6mCQ3Oa%HPIGFCXT%nD(3Oy6HW0lntly considering abolishing gender from some registration documents.
Japan
While Ja0M2cCS0HFtalsxAHpNbT0WP((-b#-C9OAzedT_Os@FLqK7vhg0pan remains a largely conservative society, it has been making slow but steady gains for LGBT rights in recent years.
CurrentlytWY-6e1F!rT4kV-hvC^fIBPFSq9U^Go)_clyFGZwUH&ZZar61+, Japan does not recognize same-sex marriage. And, laws do not protect LGBTI people from discrimination.
What’s more, gender laws require transgender citizens to undergo sterilization in order to officiall+9FtamdFQ9cXj08y%bf&e9Cm$u3SUEX3Ax)IeWKY%j2Z0cTKevy change gender.
But, increasing numbers of local administrations are recogCHloiX=x8xZ^Zuh(17qS5dNrjjAUc6U3)%8NK+if7NVN=8q3X2nizing same-sex couples with partnership certificates which give very limited recognition and rights.
