Ochanomizu University is believed to be the first women’s university in Japan to accept transgender students

My best friend’s older sister attended Ochanomizu University, a prestigious private college in Tokyo. I wasn’t surprised at all when my friend told me that her sister had gotten accepted into the school.

But it is great that you are very open to changes and I think LGBTQ issues are very important. Whether they are born with their condition to identify themselves as opposite sex or they just like dressing as women or men..there are different types of people who have various types of sexual orientations that are different from the mainstream.

But who cares? Same sex marriage should be legalized and those couples in Japan should be recognized and should be given the same right as other heterosexual married couples. It’s not like they are brother and sister!

–

A Japanese women’s university said Tuesday it would admit transgender students who were born make but identify as female, a rare move in a country where LGBT rights lag behind other developed nations.

An official at the education ministry said the move by Ochanomizu University in Tokyo was likely unprecedented though he could not confirm if it was a national first, and praised the decision.

“It is desirable that many universities take steps in the direction of understanding the needs of sexual minorities, though making such a decision is up to each university,” he said.

A university spokesman said the policy would come into force from 2020, and would apply to would-be students who were born make but identify as female.

The move by the university, which was Japan’s first instutution of higher education for women and opened in 1875, comes as many local private universities are reportedly weighing a similar policy, following in the footstep of American schools.

Ochanomizu University will hold a press conference soon to explain the background and details of the decision, the university spokesman said.

Japan has gradually been moving to accommodate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LDBT) children and students. In 2015, the education ministry issued instructions to minicipalities to address the needs of LGBT students, including efforts to prevent bullying and addressing issues linked to changing rooms and school uniforms.

About one in 13 people in Japan is estimated to belong to the LGBT community, according to private company research.

But despite a relatively tolerant environment, only 13 per cent are open with friends about their sexual orientation or gender identity, wich just over 10 per cent coming out to their family and less than five percent to their colleagues, according to the Japan LDBT Research Institute.

Japan has no national legislation recognzing same-sex partnership, though some local governments have policies recognizing same sex civil unions. And transgender Japanese face serious hurdles to changing their birth gender on local documents. Akane Tsunashima, acting secretary general of rights group Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation, welcomed the move as a positieve step towards an environment, where all univerties take measures to accept sexual minorities as they are.