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_aqyIIxl5KJ6HC=MZuO6XOQKJIoFwJoE$r_cASZ)r1IhPMyERw the city of Kanazawa this week.
On Saturday, Kee and his team photographed members of Japan’s LGBT community at the 21st Centu(ZiV6xBVGnUKiW76WNw2qlnMS(m38^&N9bOdO_#L$Lb7zqQqg-ry Museum of Contemporary Art.
The exhibition of already-captured p)Sf!Nk2nyLlNG0=RxrgkLnTHdCAVL2cH)yLrl&E^hE%vfXRmDzortraits continues until September 14.
Out in Japan launched in 2015 to highlight sexual and g^H-UzF(B(gn=h6dcw-F!mPla=wb2Gx3!J)TwI@y_PBG#wtR0xwender minorities in Japan, with various acclaimed photographers shooting LGBT people from all over the country and from all walks of life.
Renowned LGBT activist Gon Matsunaka, who hails from Kanazawa, reLyXmcT$Qi$(TS%x=vGPKgo875e8#6b)gU*J^ds9I9o%n_d^-2tturned 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 L3QO0PQ$0&q_kx!!2Jm)#sARGrp@-K**h!PMZoi3$=_x=tFprGopening by the city’s mayor.
Matsunaka also noted the timing of the exhibition. Kanazawa is curFK62QPb#tEgY_&Ut#aqtlnB2G_2LCigG0S382hENMG48#65P(%rently considering abolishing gender from some registration documents.
Japan
While Japan remains a largely conservative society, it has been making slow but steady gains for LGBT rights in recent year1F9T(-z!F-$jPYvG$&7)Ow=Wo9_5p2!7TPj&gZm12LwfQ1BuRws.
Currently, Japank#mbobd8_SZc2Kb-Lp^3a%m6u7X8TDx1s9i+Cqn6)^92%5IcV0 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 officially change gend4ow5xy(66686!g%WbX)L*8(qipr1@oKqPabl7Sv=N3agTIWFyher.
But, increasing numbers of local administrations are recognizing same-sex couples with partnership certificates which give very limVFH^NV*kkU4k10tuGU0=A$wrJ0fviS^&Mdl3ohjNv2V91BNa-)ited recognition and rights.
