Japanese region criminalizes outing LGBTQ+ people

Eikei Suzuki, governor in Japan's Mie prefecture, announced that disclosing a person's sexuality or gender identity without consent would be criminalized. The decision was made after the South Korean government asked citizens who were present in a slew of gay clubs to report themselves due to a second corona outbreak.
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When a second wave of the coronavirus hit in South Korea, it was soon linked to a string of gay bars visited by one person with the virus. As a result, the government asked all those present in the relevant gay bars to report themselves. Various LGBT + organizations emphasized that this forces countless individuals to come out of the closet.

Governor Eikei Suzuki announced on June 3 that it is now illegal to out someone in the Mie prefecture without permission. Disclosing the sexual orientation and / or gender identity of another person without permission has therefore become a criminal offense. The news was received with open arms within the LGBTQ + community. The choice was allegedly made in response to the incident in South Korea, where gay bar visitors were requested to report.

The governor said the following via Twitter:

"We have announced the creation of our own regulation so that the citizens of the prefecture can better understand the diversity of sex and eliminate discrimination and prejudice against LGBT people.

It is also the intention to include regulations in all prefectures for the first time that prohibit both requiring someone to come out and the involuntary outing of another (disclosing sexual orientation to a third party without the person's consent).

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