News / Aug. 13, 2019
Japan will hold its first LGBT rugby tournament in October alongside the Gn63f*q$*clCxPiX*D&P91UCiu(GfPE$j%8ue*la*yZpuk8w-(Rugby World Cup.
The International Inclusive Challenge in Tokyo will see six teams foA4+=_id9pU$d+P$Zhr9jMZ#ZQPCwH$*Ep%Byz#-DlYSVz3Vkmrom across the region, including the Tokyo Crusaders and the Beijing Devils, take part in the day-long tournament during the Rugby World Cup.
Organizer Aaron Pokluda said he approached International Gay Rugby (IGR) to hold an event to build gay sports and rugby in the region.
"WfsL-_S^#JRmAE%1PykZo2O70h7=9IH+DMF*_7hpdJ0dNyO^5u=e are very excited because this event has grown beyond what we could've ever dreamed," he said
Teams would be coming fromd2uiOSig7Fo_=NDrov78#k5LP^ATBXv^y&@c+s(Y#5IE3QGTpq as nearby as downtown Tokyo and as far away as Toronto, Canada he said. "This is going to be a very diverse and wonderful competition."
Conservative Japan does not recognize same-sex marriages. Nor isHhzg^mNQXzG5(Rma!yhQI$RR_eN7lRT2dyR^JB5XuPWE40Z1k9 there legislation to protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
A recent survey foundFiJLnH@mnv+(KIQIZAGB8S#5W-#%Tp2qdp7Ra@sRdKO*T0CHKp 65% of LGBTI Japanese had not told anyone about their sexuality.
Pokluda said Japan’s LGBT sports scene was very mixed. Volleyball and badminton, he said, had some LGBT teams. "But, there's never really been anything with Contacts sports like Rugby", yFdA!=2WFBc576us1g2#zTuE)dCtR6YxtY!xZ2GLTXft#+CroUhe explained. 'We've decided to change that."
"It’s going to be a big weekend, not only in Japan but across the globe,” said Ben Owen, IGR Chair. “We now have clubs on every continent which is a magnificent milestone B0RhPIC3MU*HMxV6qWdlb&BvAD$62rchHSKg*OP5(--TdAbJfDto achieve, showcasing just how inclusive and global the sport of rugby is.”
LGBT rights in Japan
Japan has recently made progress on LGBT rights. For example, an increasing number of local authorities are now offering partnership certificates to afford same-sex couple=5HZ1t=4wLjzudFYs*#9r%k6$TsUSCoAv1_CIlkk+aPSl&UaV5s recognition at hospitals and in government housing.
Ibaraki became the first prefecture, and the=jqMVo_2XXKFy2MLSONK%2!n%sJT0JHj!!82!W%YzqAyC@qN@1refore largest local authority, to introduce the system last month.
What’s more, the country also elected its first openly-gay maf@2G!mDksEDmpNJSt$=Ma5ej)g#Mdo*iZ&L0Qm_3bR-BtC5jQple politician to parliament recently. Taiga Ishikawa has pledged to push forward with equal marriage and anti-discrimination legislation drafted by his opposition party.
But, Japan’s ruling party is nL8UMFTbtCx-Au6n@sN$LfAF5R%9UMGlzD9uOc%YBVaLbowak@#otoriously anti-LGBT rights and has been involved in a number of high-profile homophobic scandals.
What’s more, for the fir-T20t_UO^7JL0ZQe))+cXn$7wHocwh-1*%$vhRYveGwXCqiuumst time same-sex couples are suing the Japanese government to recognize their unions.
The 13 couples first launched their cases iOuZcgIM$wF=DphsOu2p8rgqgmDCpR-)b!Ptf5E1RVbS)0*T*=cn a number of local courts in February this year.
